Now
by Iane Casey
Summary: Filled in what I thought was missing on 6x22's final scene- Cuddy's thoughts about the events that night which led her to House's apartment and the admissions, and of course, that momentous kiss. Includes morning after & beach pics. Spoilerish. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fox or the TV show House. I'm only borrowing some characters. The characters belong to David Shore and company.**_

_**A/N: **__Okay, I honestly don't do one-shots (you'd probably be able to tell why since my fics are always long). But a few friends *coughs* Sophie, Oc7ober, *coughs* Helen, *coughs* and some others requested that I do so… Okay, Edit, this was supposed to be a one shot, now it's gonna be a two-shot… _

_IT'S 4:15 am! xD_

_So here, I've tried to write one. Don't be harsh! And forgive some points I may have missed. I haven't watched the entire episode yet[only the Huddy scenes] because my internet connection's speed won't allow me to load or download anything! :(_

_**Enjoy!**_

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_**NOW**_

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_No._

_Yes._

_No._

_I don't know anymore…_

She couldn't push everything aside now; she's worked-- fought too hard to give in to him now. She's been doing well of ignoring her feelings for him far too long to let them right back in now. Their feelings, their history ran too deep and now, from one event, he's captured her again; mind, heart, and soul. She should resist, she should fight.

_I couldn't._

She couldn't lie to herself anymore-- couldn't deny her feelings for him, couldn't carry on with the image of a happy family she envisioned when she said yes to Lucas last night whilst she thought of _him_. She couldn't. Not anymore.

And that's why she did it. She ended everything with Lucas. Ended things, broke off the engagement.

For House.

_No… for myself._

"_I don't love you." _I do; as much as it kills me to love you, I do.

She wished he'd just believed her and push her away as soon as she got face to face with him again. But the fact was, she didn't believe herself when she told him those four shattering words.

_I love you. I know you love me too. Else you wouldn't be hurting too much—your eyes tell me everything._

She couldn't throw everything away.

_I just did._

This was now.

She tried all her best earlier to fight every shred of love that wanted to escape her. She hurt him _so _much; hurt him to the bone, just to try to stop herself, reminding herself that he wasn't healthy for her _and _Rachel.

She told him Wilson was moving on. He was.

She pointedly told him that _she's _moving on.

_I wasn't. I couldn't. I tried and tried._

But she found some scrap of hope in failure. If she did get through House tonight, her heart could finally rest its case if he didn't want her after everything she's said. She had to. She lied when she told him she didn't love him. She _had _to tell him that, for herself. She meant it when she said that she was tired, tired of everything.

She was done. She was utterly done but her heart just wouldn't stop telling her to go after him. He was toxic to her but he was also almost everything to her.

"_You have nothing, House, nothing."_

She knew, no matter how much- how hard she tried, he'll _always _have her. It was a natural force; her always being pulled into his orbit.

God his eyes when he closed the door to the ambulance. Damn those beautiful, entrancing windows to his soul. Wordless, they can communicate so stealthily. She wanted to take back every blow she threw at him that night, wanted to take back every scalding, hurting word she said but she couldn't. All was said and done. And had she not said them in the first place, she wouldn't have come to the conclusion that either which way she turned the world, she'll always be faced with House and her feelings for him; that she would never know if anything would even work between them if she- they didn't try.

God, how she wanted to try.

_Loving you is hard… but it's what I feel. I couldn't help myself._

She tried to do what's best for Rachel by choosing and settling for Lucas but she couldn't do that anymore. She couldn't be happy with what she chose because what she chose wasn't for her. She chose the easiest path for her daughter. She tried to do best by her.

It didn't work. It did, for Rachel. But for Cuddy herself, it _did _work but it wouldn't have worked long enough anyway.

Every feeling, every emotion would surface at some time.

Earlier that night, they did.

Why at that place, why at that time? She'll never know. All she could remember was his voice, talking to Hannah, trying to soothe her. Her heart broke as she heard the woman's screams as her leg was amputated, by House. Her heart broke for what House was courageously doing while she stood outside, nobody but the woman who tried to do her role and asked someone to agree on having a limb removed in change of her life.

Her heart ached for him yet her heart also beat with pride for his heroic feat at having done that. It was so raw, how he spoke to Hannah when he told her his story. He almost acted as if she wasn't there. He didn't blame anybody but himself; not her, not Stacy, not the other "idiot" doctors. Just him and him alone.

Alone.

She closed her eyes and quickly blinked the tears away as she recalled him saying that. How he told his patient how his decision affected his everyday life.

_I'm always here...When it greatly matters, you're not alone, you know that. _

Now, she was on her way to House's apartment, trying to focus on the road whilst her mind was running faster than her vehicle was at the moment; her wheels turning crazily. So many 'what ifs' and maybes. She took a deep breath as she saw the entrance to his apartment building.

Nervously biting her lower lip, she thought. But she didn't have time to think. No amount of thinking would prepare her for anything that would come. All she should do was go in there and lay everything out on the table for him.

He laid everything out before, almost for months, he's showed her he's changed; she tried not to acknowledge that he did, choosing to ignore his existence for what she thought was her own good and at the same time, not wanting to lead him on. He tried to show her that he's become better; she knew, but she chose to not take notice.

It was insane, what people do to keep out of love.

But she knew she wouldn't fall out of love. Because she's been _in _love with him far too long. She's lied to herself so much about him.

Maybe, just maybe, this was their time now.

Cuddy wiped her eyes which have been tearing up for quite some time already. She got out of her car once she's parked and walked straight into the building. She was somewhat relieved to find that his front door was unlocked but still…

When the thought entered her mind she internally shivered. But she had to face facts. Although House could change, there will be things that he may be tempted to go back on.

Cuddy prayed he won't go back on drugs, but that wasn't her choice. It was solely his. She just prayed that he won't throw away a year of victory over the drugs' temptation for him to use again.

Her heart stopped as she kept walking towards him, seeing him with a bottle in his right hand, two pills on the palm of his left. He was breathing laboriously and she frowned. She leant back in the jamb of his bathroom door and looked down at him, but not with pity, her eyes were just red rimmed and slightly puffy.

She noticed that his were too as House looked up at her, a vision in pink… scrubs, and asked if she was going to do what she immediately knew was what happened the night he hallucinated her helping him detox from Vicodin.

"No…" she answered, looking back at him, straight in those distraught and vulnerable orbs and continued in a rasping voice, "It's your choice if you want to go back on drugs."

House looked down on the pills in his palm, "Okay," he said almost nonchalantly, taking deep breaths as he willed his eyes not to shed tears like they did a while earlier. He then redirected his gaze up at her and said, "Just so you know I find it hard to see the downside." With that he looked down at the treasonous pills in his palm. Two pills and he'd have salvation. But two pills, he'd once again condemn himself to addiction that had once too many jeopardized everything he had; life, job, his intellect, and his sanity. He vowed never again but the recent events of his day, his weeks, and months have proven to be catalysts to what he believed would be inevitable in the point of view of others.

The question was, will he once again condemn himself?

"You need to re-bandage your shoulder," Cuddy said, pushing from the jamb and walking a few steps closer, placing two pressuring fingers to her forehead before leaning back on the door in front of him. He really didn't need to re-bandage his shoulder that soon but she needed a prelude to their conversation.

"Is that why you're here, Foreman sent you?"

Another deep breath, "No," she answered, her eyes still on him even if he was trying not to glue their eyes together too much.

As if a kid, yet true she did yell at him earlier, he asked, "You gonna yell at me again?" his blue eyes watery, from tears or from pain, Cuddy couldn't quite tell.

"No."

Shaking his head once House replied and lowered his head, "Well, I'm running out of ideas."

Whispering the inevitable name, Cuddy mentioned, "Lucas." There was no way it wasn't going to be unmentioned anyway so why not be done with it, right?

"Oh great, you're feeling uncomfortable again," House muttered under his breath but loud enough for her to hear. "Probably mean you just got back from some quickie wedding in Vegas or you're already pregnant—"

"I ended it." Cuddy finally announced, cutting him off, her eyes on him, watching as he shut his mouth and stared up at her with wide ocean blue eyes.

His eyes still wide, not bothering to hide the genuine shock at her revelation House asked the next most logical question. "What?"

Was he delusional? Was he hallucinating? Had he taken the Vicodin? He was lost, yet thankful she was here, yet again—real or hallucination—saving him from himself, saving him from self-destruction. She was his saving grace; his angel. House was dumbfounded so all he could do was stare up at her.

Her heart was thudding in its cavity as she told him every single detail, and slowly, she knew she was going to have to tell him what her heart so stubbornly clutched at all the while she was with somebody else. She was baring herself, naked in front of him and hoping he won't play with her, not this time. This deeply mattered. They were tipping on the balance now. She hoped it would even out everything.

"I'm stuck, House…" she admitted. Gazing at him for a while, she released a deep breath then continued. "I keep wanting to move forward… I keep wanting to move on… and I can't." House just looked up at her with unhidden surprised eyes. Cuddy continued, keeping her eyes glued to his now, "I'm in my new house with my new fiancé and all I can think about is you." A sigh. "I just need to know if you and I can work."

_Don't push me away, _Cuddy's heart begged. But another part of her wanted him to push her away, ending everything she felt—or thought she felt for him. But her heart won out, wanting him to seize the moment and open up to her. So they could finally try and work things out between them; stop the deflection a moment, stop the lies, the truth would be out, and they would be together. At the moment it was as simple as that.

Emotions were raw, the moment was right, they should be too…

"You think I can fix myself?" House asked her from where he sat, his back against his tub. His question was honest, not rhetorical, not sarcastic. It was a genuine question.

A question Cuddy herself didn't know the answer to. She had hope that he _could_ but she didn't know. "I don't know," she told him, shaking her head, her eyes getting misty again. She honestly didn't know.

House swallowed and admitted, looking up at her, his walls entirely down. She knew he wouldn't push her away then on. "So I'm the most screwed up person in the world."

"I know," she acceptingly stated, her eyes never faltering from his honest blues.

A pause.

Their eyes locked onto each other, House waiting in bated breath for her next words. A moment later, they finally came, in the sincerest voice he ever heard.

"I love you," Cuddy declared, her soft, sincere voice, adding weight into her meaning. So much, she thought. Fighting back tears, she blinked them away and swallowed before continuing.

"I wish I didn't," she said, on the verge of tearing up but then she pursed her lips, almost smiling, "But I can't help it." It was amusing how he was just staring up at her, his eyes as wide as ever, just taking in every word she mustered to vocalize without breaking down.

It was now or never. He placed the ball on her court, she returned it tonight. Now, it was his call; his words and actions that would even break her already broken heart _or_ finally—he'd be a man-- and glue it together, keeping her in his for what she prayed would be a long, long time.

House stared at her for a mere two seconds before he diverted his gaze from her and tried to push himself up but couldn't. He slumped his shoulder cutely when he found out that he was unable to do so but soon after reached a hand up to her, wordlessly asking her to help him up.

The side of Cuddy's mouth tugged up as she helped him up, feeling her heart almost frantically beat from her chest as she raked her eyes from his chest and up to his eyes. He was towering over her now.

Now.

Now…

It was theirs.

She felt like a ton of every negative feeling she felt that weighed down her shoulders the last few minutes, hours, weeks, and months mysteriously disappeared as his eyes told her that at that moment, he was there. _With_ her _in _the moment.

That he won't suddenly grab her breast and claim that it was the logical next step… that he won't suddenly push her away with a remark.

She _knew._ His eyes told her so.

House was bemused yet undeniably, suddenly fulfilled by the turn of things in a few hours. He may have lost his patient, he may have been wounded and lost amounts of blood, he may have lost hope and some pride from what happened but Cuddy's presence soothed his qualms, soothed and invigorated his tired soul, saved his life from being condemned yet again to the drugs that once caused his great downfall and gave him back some of the hope he's lost.

To say he was grateful was an understatement. His life has been turned around in the span of half an hour. All that was from her, Lisa Cuddy. The woman he loves, the woman who loves him despite his shortcomings and everything else.

Twenty years of circling each other was enough, both of them thought.

And as House took steps closer to her, she beamed up at him with her entrancing eyes filled with hope, waiting for him— his lips, to descend on hers… finally. She felt his hand slide up to her arm, holding her there.

They gazed at each other for a while, different shades of ocean, warm and loving as they melded together, everything past them now; nobody else in the world but the two of them, standing in front of each other naked and scathed, yet finally cocooned by a calming presence of truth and serenity for what felt like the first time in a long time.

House lowered his head, closing the gap between their lips, but hovered a breath away from hers only, gazing at her eyes as they started to close before his own fluttered shut when he finally met her lips, soft, warm. Cuddy closed her eyes when she felt his warm shaky breath on her lips and she worried her brow a bit before finally relaxing at the slightest feel of his upper lip grazing the top of her upper lip.

She reveled in how he kissed her as if for the first time; so slow, so tenderly slow and soft, as if the slightest pressure would break her; as if claiming her lips fully would awaken him from fantasy and send him down to reality when in fact, that moment _is_ reality.

She was there. Finally. In reality.

They kissed for a few seconds until House pulled away gazing down at her, dazzled, taking in the view of her long lashes gracing her cheeks while her eyes remained closed, her lips still apart. He straightened his head, looking down at her as she finally opened her eyes after noticing the absence of his lips from hers.

"How do I know I'm not hallucinating?" House asked her, his eyes fixed on hers still.

The corners of Cuddy's lips slightly tugged up in pride as she asked him, "Did you take the Vicodin?" She knew he didn't.

House extracted his hand from her arm and showed her the pills in his hand, seemingly unaffected now unlike the hypnotized way he looked at them earlier. "Nope," he proudly answered.

Cuddy looked from his palm to him, a hand on the left side of his chest facing her. A smile slowly blossomed on her obviously tired face, the smile immediately masking the tiredness her face revealed. She looked stunning to him, her eyes glowing as she looked up to him with those gorgeous eyes, and that small, stunning smile and said, "Then I think we're okay…"

"Yeah…" House whispered, amazed by everything at that moment. Not even looking at the powerful drugs in his hand, he let them drop to the floor, his eyes once again affixed to hers with a small smile.

When he leant forward once again to kiss her, the small smile on Cuddy's face blossomed into a full-blown completed smile as she turned her head to the side to fasten her mouth to his, kissing him jovially.

She smiled against his lips when his hand trailed down her arms and opened wide so she could lace her fingers with his. The romantic gesture almost made her melt into a puddle of sweetness but she kept her self straight, kissing him much more now, their lips still tenderly gliding against each other but with more pressure now than earlier.

Reluctantly pulling away, House rested his forehead against hers and asked, "I thought you needed to re-bandage my shoulder?"

Cuddy chuckled breathily and replied, "Maybe later…" before she reclaimed his lips with hers, her left hand snaking upwards to cup his jaw, tracing a finger gently along his regal nose. His eyes were closed and Cuddy took in his relaxed form and how he looked like while he kissed her,

She gave his hand a squeeze before closing her eyes and focused on feeling their lips mesh together for what she knew was the first time since Joy.

But this had more meaning now. It stemmed from somewhere deeper.

It stemmed from _love_.

And they had it _together_, now.

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A/N:

_Okay, do let me know what you think… :)_

_**Liked, loved, disliked it? Please leave a review :D**_

_**Part II, the M-rated part, coming tonight… :D Stay tuned! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FANTASTIC FEEDBACK! For the reviews and the various alerts… Thank you so much, you guys! :) Viva la Huddy! In fics, and the show. :) **_

_Special thanks to Chris P. for checking at least a portion of this for me despite her busy sched__**.**_

_I apologize to the __**anonymous reviewers**__. I wasn't able to let you guys know that I wasn't updating soon due to a very important Qualifying Examination I had to take at school… Now that's done and I've passed summer subjects, you guys will get tired of me __**constantly**__ until June 9__th__. :D Yay! Lol…_

_Okay, let's assume that Cuddy broke the engagement earlier… was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't even able to shower and that she left Rachel with Marina since the Nanny does come early in the morning. :D_

_**I surely hope and pray I was able to make this worth the wait!**_

_**Enjoy, Huddy smuddicts(myself included, lol)!**_

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NOW

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_She smiled against his lips when his hand trailed down her arm and opened wide so she could lace her fingers with his. The romantic gesture almost made her melt into a puddle of sweetness but she kept herself straight, kissing him much more now, their lips still tenderly gliding against each other but with more pressure than earlier._

_Reluctantly pulling away, House rested his forehead against hers and asked, "I thought you needed to re-bandage my shoulder?"_

_Cuddy chuckled breathily and replied, "Maybe later…" before she reclaimed his lips with hers, her left hand snaking upwards to cup his jaw, tracing a finger gently along his regal nose. His eyes were closed and Cuddy took in his relaxed form and how he looked while he kissed her,_

_She gave his hand a squeeze before closing her eyes and focused on feeling their lips mesh together for what she knew was the first time since Joy._

_But this had more meaning now. It stemmed from somewhere deeper._

_It stemmed from love._

_And they had it together, now._

She tilted her head to the side, allowing him to kiss her deeper, to feel his mouth entirely enveloping hers and to feel the love cascading from his lips as he bequeathed her with it with each and every kiss, every breath and every touch.

Her heart couldn't have been happier than at that moment-- _she_ couldn't have been happier.

But she was proven wrong by the man in front of her as he slid the hand he had settled on her hip to the small of her back and pulled her closer to him, warranting no space in between them. Once again she smiled against his lips as he continued kissing her as if he hadn't done something very much new for her—for them both.

His lips were so warm against hers, so paradoxically light yet perfectly heavy on hers; tasting and feeling her, taking in the moment he never imagined he'd experience again as a man reborn; as a changed man who was free from most his demons, free from the temptation of drugs.

The last time he had really kissed her was when she lost Joy. But he cowered and deflected, he pushed her advances away—pushed _her _away; why did he ever do so?

As the saying goes, you never know what you have until you lose it.

And he lost her; to a friend—or so he thought was a friend. But there was nobody else to blame but himself. _He _pushed her away, _he _did demeaning things to her, _he _wasn't man enough to admit his feelings for her-even to himself- and start something with her.

_He _hadhurt her. So deeply, excruciatingly deeply that she just _had _to distance herself, protect herself for the sake of her sanity, for the sake of her child, and for the sake of her heart.

But he so truthfully wished that those were things of the past and wouldn't be repeated by him as much as possible.

He truly had changed… and he showed her that. He showed that he was _ready _to try and commit. He knew that there would always be times that he would hurt her, scathe her so deep that she'd want to pull away. But he _knew _he would never hurt her purposely.

He knew that the two of them hurting each other was as natural as the way she was drawn unconditionally into his orbit but he would vow to a god if he needed to that he'd try not to hurt her intensely. He had her now, he wouldn't risk losing her again, else he'd lose everything.

The way his grip protectively yet not uncomfortably tightened around her and how his body relaxed against her didn't escape Cuddy. She sensed that his lips mimicked his thoughts and she found it luring that she could understand them-- a split-second hesitance but absolute tenderness after, like the way he kissed her the first time earlier; regretful a while ago; hopeful and then determined just now.

She kissed back with just as much ardor as she could release, putting to rest any doubts he had that she was real, that she was there, living the moment with him.

From an empty hopeless, weak heart to an ecstatically fulfilled, beating one, House internally celebrated. Half an hour ago he had had nothing, had no one; he had been alone. All he had had was a friend—if you could have called her that--in Hannah earlier that night, but he had lost her too.

Now that he had Cuddy he wouldn't let go.

He didn't want her for the sake of having her. He didn't want her just because she had somebody- had Lucas.

He wouldn't stop wanting and needing her just because she was free again. He wouldn't do the same mistakes again.

He wants her because he _needs_ her.

He needs her because he _loves _her.

"_I love you," _she told him that. They sounded so foreign escaping her lips but her words shot through to his heart. She was his one constant. And he regretted the days he had ill-treated her, hurt her, killed her with his razor-sharp bone-cutting words.

Oh he'd more than make it up to her, that was a fact. What he wouldn't give not to make her miserable. The best he thought he'd never have was in his arms right now and no way in the world was he purposely going to screw it up.

She could almost hear him thinking so she slid her left hand from his jaw to anchor it behind his neck, forcing their faces as virtually close as possible. She gradually slipped her tongue into his mouth and met his. Tentatively, slowly, they kissed passionately, open-mouthed now, breathing be damned, their tongues engaging in a sensual saccharine dance and their breaths mingling.

This wasn't rushing things… this wasn't anything but right. The timing was perfect, the events simply made for their reunion. Earlier stinging words forgiven and almost forgotten. Their time has officially come.

It could have been called a 20-year-long courtship—or foreplay and banter, if that'd make it sound more like them.

Cuddy unlaced their interlocked fingers and slid her hand from his arm to his biceps, feeling the contours of his fit arm through his jacket. House's hand planted itself on her hip, holding her steady as they continued kissing passionately.

That was until Cuddy's right hand slid up to his left shoulder, causing him to let out a pained breath. She instantly broke their kiss, gasping for air from the breathless state it left them in. "I'm sorry," she was quick to apologize, gazing into his eyes before trailing them down to his bloody shirt. "You're still bleeding," she whispered, moving aside the jacket that settled on the spot she had touched earlier.

"It's nothing," House replied throatily. It stung but he wasn't really complaining since any complaint would ruin a momentous moment that he had already cherished.

Cautiously, Cuddy pushed back his jacket, thrusting it from his shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. "I have to re-bandage now… unless you ripped my stitches from earlier," she seriously said as she pulled down the neckline of his shirt to examine his wound after gently setting aside the bandage.

Looking at the blood, yes, her big lummox ripped his stitches. "I have to bring you back to the hospital," she informed him. House's eyebrows shot up. "I'm fine," he argued. "Do you still have your kit here?" she asked him, ignoring his assurance that he was alright. He was okay at the moment since they were just standing still but there was a possibility that he would soon fall from the blood loss and his leg that she was certain is continually killing him if they didn't manage the bleeding and get him some Ibuprofen.

"No." Actually he just didn't remember. "Then we have to go back to the hospital," she stated, leaving no room for argument.

After a moment of thought, Cuddy took a deep breath and tentatively asked him, "Would it be okay for you to stay at my place for a while?" As much as his place was where he should be, after seeing the place where the Vicodin was hidden, she was sure there are more pills stashed in this place. She'll be sure to have his team clear the place out just in case. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. She does. But she wanted him to start anew in this apartment without the temptation of available hidden stashes of Vicodin well within his reach.

After inviting him, she recalled telling him that she and Lucas had a new house but she wanted to tell him that it was just that, a house. It had nothing yet and it never would have anything, she thought. What that new house symbolized vanished as soon as she broke up with Lucas. House nodded in consent. "I haven't moved to the new house yet… I just…"

He sensed her inner turmoil so he did what he thought would soothe her. In the simplest terms, he did what he thought would shut her up. Gently cupping both her shoulders, he leant forward and kissed her reassuringly on the forehead letting his lips linger there. He heard her sigh- in relief or acquiescence he didn't know; maybe both. But the way her shoulders relaxed under his grip somewhat assured him that she was calming down.

Cuddy leaned her temple against his lips, absorbing his nonverbal reassurances, soothing her anxiety about the matter. "I should really get your wound re-stitched," she told him concernedly, switching their focus on something else.

Lucas was a thing of the past, no matter how fresh a past it was. She didn't want to talk about it anymore, didn't want to give explanation for her decisions. Aside from the fact that she didn't have to, she just didn't want to dwell on it.

Though she didn't regret it since it taught her important things too. Her relationship with Lucas had taught her that it was true that not all things that looked good on paper was the best for someone. That stability and dependability wasn't anything without love. That settling would only work for such a short time.

She didn't have to explain herself but House wasn't pushing for one, remarkably. She was grateful for that. He wasn't pushing, wasn't jabbing, wasn't asking for any explanation. He was satisfied with her earlier words, it seemed. He was being the better man by not emphasizing , by not boasting right in front of her that she chose him over Lucas; that she broke off her engagement for him—maybe in front of Wilson, he'll do just that but that was the way he interacted with his best friend so it didn't bother her.

He was being extraordinarily grateful and just relishing the opportunity to start something with her. She smiled. The future seemed promising even if it would inevitably bring storms in its wake. Someway, somehow, hopefully, they'd be able to weather them together.

"I think my kit's in the closet in front of my room," House whispered, pulling her from her thoughts. He didn't want to trouble her to drive for a number of minutes just because he was too lazy to try and remember where his medical kit was.

Cuddy nodded and reluctantly pulled away from him to check the closet. House watched her as she walked to the closet he was referring to. Carefully, he walked to his living room, sitting on the bench of his piano. He waited for her as she got what she thought she'd need, hearing water in the bathroom and a few more cabinets being opened and shut. He didn't realize he was staring into space and massaging his thigh until Cuddy touched his shoulder, causing him to flinch in slight shock. "You okay?" she asked softly, brows furrowed. "Yeah," he answered, taking the glass of water from her hand and the Ibuprofen as well, downing them and thanking her. Cuddy gave a small smile as she put the glass away and came back with the kit and a damp towel with her.

"Take your shirt off," she instructed softly as she neatly folded the once wrung damp towel. "Don't you think it's a little too early for that?" House jokingly answered, a mischievous grin playing at his lips. Cuddy returned it as she shook her head. "It's not. Unless you want to wait and develop an infection," she retorted, lifting the hem of his shirt and carefully helping him ease his arm from the other shoulder.

"Found what you need?" House asked her. "Yes," she replied. They were silent once again as Cuddy picked up the damp towel and cupped the left side of his jaw. She gently dabbed at the scratch on his nose, being careful not to hurt him as she wiped away the blood that had dried. House kept his eyes on her, on how she focused on her task.

"You know, I forgot you actually were a doctor," he teased with a small warm smile, meeting her eyes. Cuddy let out a small scoff. "You never did have faith in me," she retorted halfheartedly. Grasping the hand that was cupping his cheek, House held it and gave her palm a kiss before looking up at her and saying, "You _know _you're a great doctor…" Cuddy smiled, "… probably not as great as I am but still, you're great at what you do, Cuddy, doctoring or administrating. Don't ever doubt that," he told her, making her heart flutter with happiness at his words and at the way he uttered them sincerely. She continued what she was doing after thanking him. He didn't know how much those words meant to her, coming from him. After cleaning up his face with the gentlest of ways, she tended to his wound.

Removing the blood-soaked bandage, Cuddy couldn't help but ask, "How's Hannah?" Almost immediately, House's body tensed and he grievously replied, "She died en route…" A sigh. The memory of how he failed at saving her started rushing into his thoughts again.

"I'm sorry…" Cuddy whispered, ceasing her actions, clearing the space beside him and sitting next to him.

Staring into her eyes House whispered, confused and hurt, defeated, "I did everything right. She died anyway…" he told her, reminding himself of what he had told Foreman.

Cuddy frowned, biting her lower lip as she looked at him. She placed her right hand on top of his heart, immediately garnering the attention of his lost cerulean orbs. Her eyes consoled him, comforted him without words until she finally spoke. "It wasn't your fault. If anything, you gave her and her husband hope…" she softly whispered. "You did great tonight… but we don't have any control on who lives and who dies, you _know _that. Don't blame yourself for what happened."

House closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He knew it wasn't his fault but still… it was inevitable not to wonder about the 'what ifs' of the situation. Would she have lived if he hadn't had to cut her leg off? Would she have died from Crush Syndrome if he didn't? Would she have lived at all or would she have died all the same if he had done something else? Whichever reasoning, there was nothing else he could do. Hannah was gone. He wished her soul peace and wished her husband happiness despite grief.

Cuddy stood up, resuming her task of re-stitching House's wound after cleaning it. "Who's with Rachel? It's six in the morning," House asked. Cuddy smiled at the thoughtful question. "Nanny." House nodded in acknowledgement and kept himself silent until she finished with his shoulder.

"All good," she announced after placing a fresh bandage on his wound. Clearing the mess she made, she stopped working when House settled her in front of him, holding her by the hips. House laid his head on her torso, wrapping his arms around her midsection. He felt Cuddy take a deep breath before feeling her arms cup both sides of his neck, caressing him there before sliding them up and running her fingers through his hair.

He was embracing reality. He really truly had her. His eyes were closed as he just savored the moment. Even if he knew it was real, it still felt like a fantasy. Her being here now reminded him of how close he got to losing her because of his idiocy. She gave him hundreds of chances before so now he'll be taking _this _chance and won't be taking it for granted.

This was real.

This was serious.

This was love and a lot more.

This wasn't a game, nor would he treat it like one and drive her away.

His heart was overflowing with emotions and the sensation of her in his arms made it so much more momentous. A milestone in their history. Breaking the chain that had them repeatedly going in circles.

Pulling away from her, he held her by the waist and urged her to sit beside him on the bench. She complied and sat beside him, a hand on his leg, absorbing the heat his naked upper half sent out.

Pushing up the lid from his sleek baby grand, House flexed his fingers before looking at Cuddy whose eyes and mouth immediately smiled in excitement at the prospect of him playing solely for her. Surprisingly though, before he started, he inched forward and tenderly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, kissing her chastely on the lips before asking her softly to listen.

She heard him take a deep breath before relaxing. The moment he started to play she felt her heart melting and overflowing with some unknown emotion. Love was there… but there was something else she couldn't quite place her finger on.

He continued playing and she continued gazing from his fingers and up at him. His eyes were closed, his face was relaxed. They were both silent, his music speaking for his emotions as he continued gliding his fingers graciously along the ivory keys. The music was so relaxing, so familiar and it was the only sound that filled the room. She noticed that it held some of her Jewish culture's tunes and a lot more.

She was unable to help herself from leaning on his shoulder, her head resting against it as she closed her eyes and let the music bring her anywhere it could. She was lost in it, lost in the music he was playing and sharing with her.

She was utterly captured, incandescently captivated.

House was lost in his reminiscence of how far he had had gone to fortunately get to where he was tonight. This composition reminded him so much of his struggles and his desire to be with her, to not make her miserable by being with her, to be the one to be with her day in and day out, for better or for worse. The composition reminded him of how much he wanted to be with her but was afraid to be so.

This composition which was entirely made with her in mind, reminded him of her, everything about her. Including her daughter, Rachel. He had long accepted that she has a daughter. Until now he was scared as hell that he'd do something that would scar the kid for life but with Cuddy by his side, he was at least confident that she would lead him straight.

For better or for worse, even if this relationship didn't last—though he'd try to make it last—they were an undeletable part of each others' lives. A constant that could never be removed, no matter what was done.

"_I'm always here… always," _was what Cuddy had said once before in one of his hallucinations of her… Of her being there always, he had no doubt. He just wished that he'd be there _for her_ long enough to see her incandescently happy, even if with the "most screwed up person in the world."

She had the child already… he wouldn't be that too—well, upon occasion he would be.

He'll be the _man _for her.

So many promises pinned on one night. So many reassurances. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep some of it but he'd try as hell to do so. He knew she wasn't expecting things to be perfect between them but he wanted it to at least have some semblance of perfection.

After all this time, after all these years searching, she had _earned _and deserved it.

Besides, he did love challenges. So he was challenging himself on this. Maybe Nolan was right. Time was indefinite but it finally came for him tonight. He'd have to visit that old scrooge and comment on that painting on the receiving area. Therapy seemed worth the opening up again.

Cuddy opened her eyes and gazed lovingly at House when a very soft version of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" started enveloping the air around them. His hands were so dexterous, so graceful, he was absolutely brilliant at what he was doing and she'd want nothing more than to ravish him then and there but she stopped herself. Storing this moment into memory was far more important than her hormones' demand to jump him.

There was nothing else in the world that moment. Nobody else but them and a piano which, by House's talent, provided them such a romantic ambiance, such a familiarity she didn't expect.

A few seconds later, the melody stopped and she waited for House to look at her. A while later he turned his head in her direction and gave her the smallest of smiles.

Cuddy couldn't help but beam up at him as a lone tear escaped her eye. House wiped it away with the pad of his thumb and let his smile grow a little. "It was beautiful, House. Perfect, really," she complimented on a breathy whisper to stop herself from the emotions overwhelming her. She came to his apartment tonight with low expectations of anything promising even as she had hoped everything would work out. Now, being next to him, everything had really fallen into place for them tonight. Her heart was thankful, her mind was hopeful that they could pull this off for the long run.

"It's yours," House announced almost timidly. Cuddy was stunned. He composed it for her? "What?" she asked, unable to say anything coherent as it dawned on her that he composed something _for her_.

"It's your serenade," he told her, a smile kicking at his lips at her expression.

Cuddy's expression of shock soon blossomed into a sweet smile as she asked him, "When did you make it?"

"The day of Rachel's Simchat Bat."

Cuddy's face fell at that, remembering how she treated him that day. How she had brutally stuck into his face how miserable he was and how she practically told him that he was unwelcome in that important day; no matter how much she had wanted him there after all.

She stood up stepped in front of him, pulling him up by the hands. House's confused look soon vanished when her contagious smile affected him and he found himself basking in her happiness… that _he _put that smile there.

"Thank you," was all yet everything she could say. The mere fact that he composed this with her _and _possibly, Rachel, in mind spoke volumes to her with regards to his feelings for her. Spoke volumes of his true feelingsfor her.

"I love you," House amorously whispered to her with his oceanic orbs fixed to her sapphire ones, never faltering as he let her know that by words.

Now those three words… spoke enormous volumes!

Cuddy beamed, her sapphire eyes sparkling like the jewels that they are; so precious, so beautiful. He finally reciprocated her earlier words with words of his own. They weren't just words though. They were so much more than just words.

"You _know_ I love you," she fondly replied before fusing their lips together, wrapping her left arm around his neck she pulled him closer and kissed him passionately, pouring all her heart's unspeakable emotions in their kiss. Her right hand settled on his chest as House wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his naked torso, literally enveloping her with his warmth.

Their kiss deepened as House sat her on top of his ivory keys and she held on to his nape to keep their lips from separating. She loved the feeling of his stubble grazing her palm as she caressed his stubbly cheek while they kissed, occasionally gazing up to watch him as he kissed her, as if a second glance would prove to her that she had only been dreaming even if she knew this wasn't one. The way his stubble brushed her lips and the skin around her mouth brought back sparking shots of desire that she suppressed earlier.

His hands slid from each side of her hips up to her arms to cup both sides of her neck. House broke their kiss reluctantly, thirsty for breath that the kiss deprived him off but instead of meeting her lips again, he focused on placing wet butterfly kisses from her jaw to the back of her ear, her hand still on his nape as she angled her neck to provide him more space. She separated her legs and propped her feet on the bench behind him to let him settle in between her legs before arching back on the baby grand, her movements causing a cacophony of notes to fill the air along with their labored breathing. She was sure she was turning pink as the mixture of his kisses and every single graze of his stubble on her amplified her need for him, for them to consummate this reunion which was 20 years in the making.

She faintly remembered his words during the seminar, remembered how he had told her that he honestly wanted to see where their relationship would lead to after that night so many years ago. That night was the last night she experienced being with him. If events escalated now, she was sure it was more than just sex. It would be making love with House.

What she felt now was more and would always be a whole lot more than what she had ever felt when she was with Lucas. She would always love House more than any man she's been with. Heck, it was possible that she failed at almost every relationship since nobody could compare to him. Her previous relationships fell apart since the men she dated could never compare to House.

It's always been him…

She was drawn from her reverie when his lips roamed her neck; nipping, sucking, and tasting her. It dawned on her that neither of them had even taken a shower yet but she didn't think House seemed to care since he was groaning in pleasure as he lavished her with attention.

Cuddy arched her head back when House bit on her pulse point, moaning at the spark it shot down her spine and straight to her core. "House…" she moaned breathily, causing him to suck on a spot on her neck he earlier found was very erogenous. She gasped at the feeling and wrapped her arms around his back while burying her face in his neck for a while. House's hands started feeling her, caressing her under her scrubs, massaging her breasts through her bra, all the while continually kissing her in every patch of skin he came across. "Undress me…" she whispered into his ear a while later, shamelessly imploring him to dress her down, the desire for him to take her soon overpowering her entire being. House felt his already tightening jeans to tauten even more with that plea. Everything about her was intoxicating. Her scent, despite the faint smell of where they were earlier, was enthralling. Her skin was so soft that he couldn't help run his hands everywhere and study the map of her body.

_You're still here because you have the hots for me…_

House chuckled gutturally as he remembered that chance he let slip in his empty office.

_I think we should kiss now…_

He was really an idiot for being so blind and ignoring his feelings for her. Well, not anymore and never again.

Taking the hem of her scrubs in his hands, House carefully pulled them off, admiring every patch of skin that was revealed until he finally got her top off. God, she's a vision. Her taught stomach was beyond sexy: her bra-clad breasts were enticing and calling to him, the way she looked up at him with desire-lidded eyes. Her sapphires darkening into a storm of want and need.

Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to her, whispering, "You're beautiful," a breath from her lips before enveloping them with his, kissing her fervently. Cuddy returned the kiss just as intensely and slipped her hands in between them, grasping the buckle of his belt to undo them, causing House to gasp in her lips as she undid his fly.

House toed his shoes and socks off, having little difficulty in toeing off the other but he managed, then breaking from their kiss again afterwards. Diving in the valley between her breasts, he breathed her in before kissing her ample bosoms alternately, mesmerized by their voluptuousness. Her hands instantly held onto his head as he kissed the uncovered flesh of her full breasts, moaning when he occasionally nipped at them teasingly. Cuddy reached behind her and unclasped her ruby red bra and let it fall to the floor, her eyes seductively scouring him from his eyes down to the skin above his unzipped jeans. She instantly closed her eyes though when House filled his hands with her breasts, feeling their weight in his hands, delighting in how her peaks reacted to his touch. Settling a hand to a side of her and causing a disharmonized set of notes to surround them again, he cupped a breast with his hand again, kissing around her areola before taking it into his mouth. Her hand remained cupping the back of his head, pulling him as virtually closer as possible to her breast, urging him to taste her more, sighing in reckless abandon at the pleasure she was experiencing under his touch; doing it again as he turned to her other breast.

Cuddy gasped, arching her back when his other hand cup her groin, brushing his fingers against her clothed heat and making her writhe yet want to buck against him. Stopping his ministrations on her upper half, he finally took time to look at her. Her hair messy even in her ponytail, her chest and neck filled with stubble burns, her eyes hooded with pleasure, and her lips swollen from their kisses.

Sliding his hands from her waist down to her calves, House took one leg and removed her shoes and socks, doing the same with the other while Cuddy remained sitting on his piano watching his every move. When he got her shoes and socks off, he settled his hands on her hips, wordlessly seeking her permission to remove her bottoms and matching ruby red underwear. Taking a nervous and anticipating breath she nodded, holding his hands where they were before sliding them up to his broad shoulders. She watched him gently pull them down and off of her, raising her butt a little to start sliding it down, marveling at the longing and admiring looks he was giving her and her body. He had _always_ made her feel confident with her body even if she was already confident with it, herself. His comments, no matter how lecherous, no matter how wrong, had always made her feel sexy and at times, beautiful.

She was more than ready for him, she felt it herself. She wanted him more than she wanted anyone else at the moment. She doubted that she would even want anybody else after. She loves _him._ She would love him for as long as he would have her, as long as he would love her.

Always, House thought. He'd always love her. He leaned forward to kiss her again, to feel her lips mesh with his and to taste her again with his tongue. He couldn't get enough of her. Every bit of her. _I always want to kiss you_, he remembered from his delusion last year. She kissed back eagerly and started pushing and kicking down his jeans and his boxers, making him groan in her mouth as all restraints were finally removed from his throbbing erection.

They were physically naked now. Cuddy wrapped her legs around his waist, letting out a lustful sigh when she felt his erection on her abdomen. As awkward as her position was on the piano, she angled herself and readied herself for him, bracing herself on his shoulders, being cautious as to not disturb his bandaged wound.

House snaked his right hand to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him and burying his face in her neck, kissing her there once and placing a legion of soft saccharine kisses up her neck to the back of her ear before gutturally whispering, "I _do _love you," and kissing the side of her head.

"I know," she replied warmly with a smile, her eyes closed in bliss. She would never get tired of hearing him say that.

After a moment of being locked in a serene embrace he entered her finally, filling the void she had had felt ever since the last time he sheathed himself inside her. They mutually gasped at the sensation of flesh entering flesh and House buried his face in her neck, kissing her there as he let her accommodate his size and girth.

He had long wished to experience this with her again. Making love to her, making love _with_ her. Hearing her whisper his name and hearing her sounds of pleasure.

Cuddy dropped kisses onto his neck a while later, letting him know she was ready and waiting for more. He was inside her, buried deep inside her and she wanted to give in to everything then and there but she wanted this to last. Slowly he began to move inside her, his right hand still spread on the small of her back providing support for both of them. She moaned and tilted her head back at the smallest of waves he made. He felt so good buried inside her like this that the pain only upped the ante of her desire. After a few tentative thrusts in and out of her, House found the right pace and worked on it, moving his head from the hollow of her neck to rest it against her forehead.

The way they swayed, the way they moved had the piano accommodating their sounds of pleasure with a cacophony of notes that strangely sounded beautiful for them. His intense cerulean gaze took in the vision of her, mouth slightly ajar, her breath morphed into pants for breath, her eyes shut closed. The sight of her like this made him harder inside her, made him thrust harder and deeper inside her. She moaned and gasped in different moments, gripping him tighter with her hands, digging her short nails into his back, causing him to groan in pleasure.

The tight, wet velvety warmth enveloping his penis was beyond incredible. It was addictive. The way her muscles clenched around him was exciting, rejuvenating, empowering.

"Oh god, House," she throatily moaned when he started hitting a spot inside her that made her legs turn into a pool of gelatinous matter. Her grip on him tightened, her lips kissing every area she could reach while House's thrusts started to intensify and quicken.

House bowed his back to reach a taut peak of her nipple, sucking it into his mouth, biting once in a while and making her cry out in ecstasy. She was a goddess.

He still couldn't believe she was his just as much as he was hers now.

House kissed her way up her midriff, planting kisses from her chest to her neck, slowing down when he reached her jaw line and finally setting his lips on hers again, making sure to thrust harder when he reached her lips. Her mouth fell at the beautiful mixture of pleasure and pain that assaulted her senses and he took advantage of that by slipping his tongue into her mouth, seeking her tongue to dance a sensual tantric dance with it again.

House pulled the elastic band from her hair and let her hair cascade down her shoulders, making her look sexier and beautiful than ever. It was as if he had Venus herself in front of him. She was a beautiful sculpture; perfect and smooth. Cuddy smiled at how he wanted her hair down and she continued to meet his enthusiastic thrusts as a thin film of sweat started forming in their bodies.

Their lovemaking wasn't all that good at the moment, as incredibly wonderful as it felt, but they would take what they could at the moment, seeing some of the predicaments actually having sex—or making love—would give them, given House's condition.

Well in fact, Cuddy wasn't even complaining. Yes, her ass was feeling like it was poked with piano keys but it was nothing compared to the pleasure and bliss she was living at that moment as House drove in and out of her, rendering her breathless with his powerful thrusts.

"Cuddy…" he groaned against her lips, feeling her beginning to quiver beneath him and feeling himself on the verge of exploding as well. He was thankful for the endorphins roaming his system. It made his thigh feel a little less hurting. Her legs wrapped themselves tighter around him, pulling him closer, driving him deeper as possible into her while she moaned in rapture at the sensations overpowering her.

She wanted it to last longer but she couldn't help herself. The position rendered her tight so every thrust he made caused him to snuggly scrape every angle of her core. He was deeply focused on pleasing her and so he kept his thrusts strong and powerful but also being mindful of her, not wanting to hurt her. Their pelvises were thumping against each other now, craving for release, craving for the tidal wave of an orgasm to reach them and wash them away together.

With a final deep thrust and his fingers vigorously rubbing her clit, Cuddy let go and cried out, House instantly swallowing her forthcoming cries of elation as her orgasm took over her. He continued his thrusts but was not far behind her as he exploded and spilled his warm seed inside her soon after.

Cuddy clung tightly to him while she rode out her orgasm and House never let go of her, his hand still supporting her by the small of her back and his other hand buried in her unruly hair. He unglued his lips from hers to press a loving kiss on her temple, lingering a while before burying his nose in her hair, engraining the scent of her hair in his psyche. A while later House pulled out of her but remained hugging her close to him, close to his heart.

House glanced at the clock on the wall and chuckled when he saw what time it was. "What?" Cuddy asked in a raspy voice, a smile tugging at her lips, pulling away from their post-coital embrace, looking up at him with a curious twinkle in her stunning eyes. She was absolutely glowing. He liked this look on her, he immediately noted.

"You're late for work," House informed her, a teasing smile on his face as he tucked a few tendrils of hair from the corner of her face, catching her off guard. When she got over the shock of his sweetness, she beamed, flashing him her thousand-watt smile. She glanced back to where the clock was and laughed.

It was indeed 7 am—7:30 to be exact. And she was late.

But today, as terrible and un-Dean-like as it sounded, she didn't care. She could be late once in a blue moon, right?

"After what happened last night, I think the boss wouldn't mind," she whispered in reply, turning her head to him with a mischievous smile.

House shot a brow up at her, "You're a slacker now?"

Cuddy shrugged coquettishly as she replied, "What can I say? You're a bad influence," in a smart ass manner.

"I like the sound of that…" House replied on a whisper, leaning forward to steal a kiss from her lips.

Cuddy laughed and smiled, just looking up at him with a blissful set of eyes. "What?" House asked curiously.

"Say you love me, again," she requested sweetly. House gave her a small grin. He had no problem in telling her that just as much as he had no problem telling Stacy that before when they were together.

Pressing his lips to her forehead, he kissed her again before whispering, "I love you," for the third time that night.

House stood straight and Cuddy followed suit. She hugged him and settled her head on his chest, his heart rapidly beating against her ear. She smiled… this day would be amazing. House settled his chin on top of her head, returning her embrace.

"When was the last time you showered?" Cuddy suddenly asked him, her nose scrunching up a little but a smile still painted beautifully on her face. He really didn't smell. She just recalled something from before.

House rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe she was the one who ruined the moment. "Scent of a man…" he told her like he did the last time she had asked him that and continued, "… congratulations, you've experienced it sober."

Cuddy laughed jovially in that low voice he always found music to his ears. He smiled back, burying his nose in her hair, relishing the moment she wasn't threatening to disembowel or dismember him, or double his clinic duty or firing him for not doing his job.

There was a reason why their time had come to start something together. A reason why they're incandescently happy at that moment. But the reasons didn't matter too much now.

They're happy… they aren't miserable… they're together.

They _are _in love.

This was their now.

Nothing else mattered.

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A/N: _It's 5:45 am, I am absolutely sleepy… forgive my errors in this chap._

_**Please leave some love and sugar, let me know what you think… **_

**ALSO, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU THINK I SHOULD CONTINUE THIS AND MAKE IT MORE THAN A TWO-SHOT…**

_Again, I humbly thank each and everyone who left kind words for the first chapter… You guys absolutely made my week! I love you all! Thanks for the support and patience._

For updates or Sneak Peeks on stories, follow me on Twitter: Iane_Casey


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Surprise, surprise! :D Told you guys I'll be thinking about adding another chapter or two for "Now"… :D **_

___I hope and pray the length doesn't discourage anyone from reading!_

**_A dozen humble 'Thank you' wouldn't be enough to express how much I am grateful for all the fantastic feedback for "Now" and the amazingly heartwarming reviews and kind words but here I am again, thanking every single one who have read, read and reviewed, or added me to their alerts and favorites list.._**

_A very special thank you to my Sweetie, Brit aka Toledo Girl for editing this chapter on such short notice. I heart you, Brit! :) *hugs* Also to Oc7ober for nagging me to make the first two parts of this. Lol. _

**SPOILER WARNING: **_I based 30% of this on some spoilers. _

_**This is my big general "Thank you" to everyone! :) I love you all, dearly!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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_**NOW**_

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This was one of those rare mornings when your eyes flutter open ever so slowly, taking in the current surroundings and recalling what had happened the night before and the dawn earlier that morning. Then smiling that smallest yet utterly captivated smile you have ever made, you think of how different you feel this morning. Good different. And as you revel in that sense of completeness enveloping you, your eyes scan everything in your bedroom and beyond. You're in the same room where you wake up every single day but a new aura has dawned on it. You think of whether it's just you or something has really changed wonderfully.

Something, _everything_ feels right. In place, finally.

You know better than to assume how things would turn out, especially with _him_, but you just couldn't help yourself so you instantly conclude that your day would be a magical reality. That from this day on, your life would change. You don't know whether for better or worse, though you hope with all your being that it would be the first, but you _do_ know finally taking that chance at something inexplicably insanely beautiful was worth it.

Finally, your eyes focus on the person lying in front of you and you think… you have never felt _this_ serene on a morning. It was a most welcome feeling. It seeped through every pore of your being and you couldn't seem to stop yourself from thinking that nothing could go wrong today. You focus your eyes on the man you helplessly love slumbering in front of you and allow yourself to be lifted up on a cloud with a smile on your face as you think: being with him like this, laying beside him; so close, so comfortable and relaxed, felt so right. You inaudibly chuckle at your thought, "Maybe I'm only thinking this way at the moment because his mouth is shut." Nevertheless, it unmistakably makes you feel something you have never really _entirely_ felt before.

Complete.

Cuddy was on her side, facing House who was on his back. She continued to gaze at his features, not really feeling unusual with what she was doing. Gazing at him in this state, in this most peaceful state, gave her a feeling of tranquility and hope. Love, that too; she was helplessly and hopelessly in love with him. His mouth was slightly ajar and he was lightly snoring but the way he seemed to be pouting that petulant pout whenever he didn't get what he wanted, in sleep, made her think he looked rather cute, if not charming. His lips… God, she loved those lips- especially upon her own whenever she kissed him or him her. If only he could hear her thoughts, she inwardly mused, one corner of her mouth tugging up into a smirk. She trailed her eyes Northward and came upon his nose. There was nothing wrong with it… she actually liked his unusually formed-sort of- nose. She looked at his forehead, liking that the creases were almost nonexistent. But she liked those creases- at times- whenever he was thinking so deeply about something, be it a case or something not involving work and the hospital.

But nothing else about him, physically, could ever make her melt into a puddle or ignite her longing, passionate heart the way his eyes, his cerulean orbs, always do. She loved his eyes. The way he'd look at her with such a soul-searching gaze. The way he looked at her, vulnerable. Every situation, every instance he looked at her, those captivating and piercing baby blue eyes could always get to her, reach her.

Yes, she was like a moth to a flame… but the burns and bruises she was willing to take if they meant being able to be with him, be near him, touch him… and love him, as he loved her. She realized that now.

She was hopelessly, helplessly but happily in love with him. She couldn't help it. The only reason she wish she didn't was because of her fears of things taking a turn for the worse. She was afraid of them trying for a relationship as it is the moment she had arrived at his apartment earlier that morning. There were no assurances of any sort.

What had really brought her to finally step out of the world she tried to make without House? Her pursuit of _real_ happiness and _real_ love. Not a delusion she had set up for herself to escape the invisible link that bound her and tied her to House. Not of House's revelations to Hannah last night- those revelations helped her to understand a deeper, hidden part of him and his real thoughts, though. Lucas had been her poor substitute for House. There really was a limit to how far people could keep up a façade. And not everything that looks good on paper actually works. Even if It does, it doesn't last.

Finally, last night, she just couldn't keep up with it anymore. Her heart was finally speaking for herself. Her brain has agreed to her heart's ultimate desire. She had to break free from her own-made alternate universe. As unscrupulous as it seemed, living in a world without House in it seemed so boring, lifeless. Incomplete. Why had she tried her best to push him out when she even breathed life back into him? Why did she erect a wall between them?

She inwardly sighed and unconsciously frowned.

Fear.

She was very fortunate- though others would beg to differ- to have House as a friend—a _best_ friend, actually. He knew _so _much about her and she him. Although they may not know _everything_, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses like long time friends—which they really were.

From this day on, from the moment he roused from his slumber, she'll experience having House as a partner… as a lover. It was as scary as it was exciting.

She gave a contented sigh. The warmth emanating from his body she could no longer resist so she carefully slid closer to his sleeping form. She laid her head as gently as she could on the center of his chest and placed her right hand on the right side of his chest, palm settled atop his beating heart. She moved her head to gaze at him again, closer this time, to check if she woke him with her movements. She didn't.

The hand atop his heart moved up to cup his cheek, feeling his stubble scratch her palm. She noticed how thick it's gotten and how unkempt it was. What would he say if she proposed to trim it? She liked his stubble; it made him look younger and sexier as long as it was maintained. She fondly smiled when he unconsciously leant into her touch.

She was wholly captivated, wholly his; mind, body and soul. Maybe, she thought… maybe she's always been. She was utterly spoiled by Dr. Gregory House.

"Everybody knows this is going somewhere," she recalled herself telling him about a year ago. He had groped her then, telling her that that was the logical next step.

Earlier that day they were finally on the same page, both ready and willing to face the odds and risks of them in a relationship, together.

"You're afraid to be happy!" she remembered telling him as well as she traced the outline of his slightly parted lips. Yes, she knew that was one of the reasons they were never on the same page. And as she thought of it now, she was sure that subconsciously she too, was afraid to be happy… _with him_. She knew that he was afraid to be happy because, for anybody of course, it was a risk. And last year, it was a risk, a life or death gamble, he didn't have the capacity and willpower to make considering the incidents.

Many times she said to herself, "I'm done." Two times she had told him face to face, including last night. But she could never be able to stop herself from caring for him and loving him time after time.

She would never be done with him. She never could be. Nor would she want to.

Cuddy raised her head up to lay a loving kiss on the corner of her lover's mouth. She lingered for a while, reveling in the sudden realization that she could kiss him anytime—she doubts he'd even complain about it—she wanted now. She laid her head down on his shoulder, thinking for a while, waiting for sleep to revisit her.

Who in their right minds would work on a free day?

"Not even a day and he's rubbing off of me already," Cuddy thought, amused, as she laid spooned against his side with her eyes closed.

As she was quickly being pulled into Sleep's arms, Cuddy unconsciously slid the hand resting on his chest down his torso until she reached the hem of his faded blue tee and delved in the warmth of the flesh radiating from his stomach. She gave a soft sigh of content and finally faded into a dreamless, restful sleep.

_**

* * *

**_

Surreal was the only adjective he could think of to describe waking up to her that morning. Surreal for he never imagined waking up next to her, in reality. He let out a small, almost nonexistent smile. That rare, small smile which was barely there but conveyed his most cherished emotions more than his wider smiles. It spoke of content.

He's living reality now… and it wasn't a hallucinatory reality or a drug-induced dream. If last night he had even the slightest microscopic stain of doubt, now he has none.

_Another_ shot at happiness. He was finally handed another one and at the same time he's _ready_ to seize it… with the only woman who could make him happy.

The woman he loved, one Lisa Cuddy.

He didn't know whether happiness was really feasible for him but he had started believing in it during the times he's been in therapy with Nolan. A few days ago he finally gave up trying after a year of fruitless perseverance on trying to find at least some shrapnel of happiness for himself. Last night, Time gave in and Fate – something he didn't believe in—finally brought them together. It was nothing short of an actual miracle.

He himself knew that he wouldn't be able to change, or fix himself in a day or two just because they were together now. And Cuddy wasn't really trying to 'fix' him. She's long given up on that. She accepted him wholly. _He _was the one who wanted to fix himself, now. For the better. For his own. For her. For them. It was going to be a process but now that he had a reason, a greater motivator, to continue moving forward to the path of happiness—wherever that may be or if it really existed- he'll talk to Nolan again and continue with his therapy. It _really _did help. He was but blinded by the occurrences surrounding him that pulled him down, forging his misery yet again, making him blind to the light reaching for him to help. But last night, she had come to his rescue—even if rescuing him wasn't really her motive for that late night visit. He had almost jumped off the cliff again but Life had finally rewarded him last night after months of futile work in pursuit of happiness. The bastard just wanted a front row seat to the thrill and suspense before granting him another chance to start anew.

He broke the staring contest he waged with the ceiling and then slowly glanced down at the entrancing woman wrapped around him. What he wouldn't give to lay with her like he was at that moment.

Maybe she was immortal, he thought. A goddess, really. If not, then an angel. For how many times had she caught him as he fell? How many times had she saved him, either from death or himself? How many times had she…

He stopped with those thoughts. Counting… doesn't do anything. But yes, she has saved him from himself countless times, including last night, and had been there for him whenever he needed her most. He was eternally grateful… and in love with her. No matter how many times he thought about it, he really couldn't get the word 'love' out of his mind.

Now that he had her, now that they have each other he'd try his best to not hurt her with his tendencies to… sabotage himself and his shot at happiness for this may be his last chance at it. A year ago he had learned that he was still man and not a god. He still ached, he still broke despite knowing he was already broken.

"If you can't make it work with her then maybe there's no one out there. You're afraid to take a chance because it's too big a chance," he recalled Wilson tell him.

He hit rock bottom with his feet chained to an enormous ball made of lead… which he himself pushed towards the edge of a cliff. He had done what had happened to him a year ago to himself.

What did he really do to deserve her, he'll never know. But he is grateful. He gently pulled her closer to him with an arm. Yes, he'd prefer staying with her like this more than anything at that moment. What he wouldn't give to not have to deal with patients or the hospital and the people there for a day or two.

And then it hit him. House smiled like the Cheshire cat.

He'd take her out today. She more than deserved it.

House grinned mischievously. It'd be fun to coerce her to skip work for the day. Besides, it wasn't like she had to _actually_ be at work. She just got so used to going in during the weekends.

He didn't know he had been lightly stroking her shoulder until she let out a soft sigh and slightly moved her head against his neck. He was content. And then he saw what she was wearing. His shirt. He hadn't noticed it last night. She must have pulled one from his drawers when he took some clothes for the few days he'll be staying with her for the time being.

He glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table and decided to start planning on very, very short notice. He gazed down at the restfully sleeping woman on his shoulder and frowned slightly, reluctant to deprive her of his shoulder as her human pillow. But he had to if he wanted that plan to whisk her away for the day to work.

He sounded like some crippled Prince Charming, House thought to himself in light annoyance. But hell, he was too punch-love-drunk to care. He carefully eased Cuddy down on the pillow and pulled the duvet up and atop her body. He sat by her side for a while, just gazing at her in admiration and awe. She was beautiful. And they were finally together. He gently touched her exposed cheek with the back of his index and middle finger then leaned forward and kissed her temple before tucking some disarrayed locks of hair from her face. He had some planning to do.

After relieving himself, he went to her kitchen to find Rachel sitting in her highchair with Marina in front of her. "Dr. House, I suppose?" the woman asked in a slightly thick accent. There had been times when Dr. Cuddy would be in a hurry to go to the hospital, saying the curmudgeon doctor did this or that. Also, she had overheard that Dr. House had a limp so she assumed that the man in front of her was the infamous brilliant curmudgeon doctor. She of course had no right to judge without meeting the man first. But Lucas made him sound like such a force to be reckoned with. Also, a hard person to get along with. At the moment she didn't think so. She could still be proven wrong, she thought.

First things, first, though. Why on high heavens was he there? Why did he… well apparently, Cuddy had broken up with Lucas. That was the only logical explanation for it. She had no right to question, had no right to judge. She was sure Dr. Cuddy had her reasons. She was the sole owner of her heart. No one and nothing but it could tell her who to love.

House nodded at Marina, acknowledging that she spoke instead of ignoring her existence. House took a step forward to at least shake the woman's hand civilly. Harassing Cuddy's nanny wouldn't be good for him, nor for Cuddy. He should at least be on good speaking terms with the woman who would be able to help him spend more time with Cuddy by taking great care of Rachel. He was being smart.

House poured himself a glass of water, drank his fill and then set the glass aside. When he turned, Marina was already busying herself with Rachel again. She was feeding the infant who has grown considerably from the last time he's seen her. Rachel was happily cooing and occasionally mumbling incoherent words at the woman while being fed and picking at the cheerios splattered on her squeaky clean highchair's table.

"Do you have anything to do?" House throatily asked on a whisper, successfully hiding his nervousness and slight awkwardness at even asking to help. Rachel seemed to be in a mood that wouldn't bring her anywhere crying so he might as well make himself known to the little tyke. She couldn't be that bad. The worst she could do was either cry or barf at him… again.

"Si, but I can watch her for now," Marina answered, surprised at the doctor's offer to help her. He wasn't turning out as bad as other people have described him.

"I'll keep an eye on her for some time, make sure she doesn't break into two," House answered, luckily preventing himself to be snarky at her.

"Dr. House, really, I can—"

"I insist," House answered with a none-too-reassuring wink at the woman. When she only stood up and walked to the entrance to Cuddy's dining area and looked at him doubtfully House reassuringly told her, "Deja que ella me."

Marina nodded at him, more reassured now that he was serious in actually looking after her employer's daughter while she did some chores. She'll be sure to check on them after a while or two. Anyway, she was glad he was holding the fort for a while. It'll make watching Rachel later in the day easier. So far she was liking the man. An added bonus was that he could speak her native tongue.

Rachel has been staring at him with round blue eyes the moment Marina left, curious about the huge man's identity. Her mind signals her that she hadn't seen him before and so her apprehension surfaces and a frown graces her lips.

House sat down in front of her, staring at the kid but not entirely oblivious to the fact that she may start crying soon since he wasn't a face familiar to her. For obvious reasons, she wouldn't have remembered that the last time they had come face to face with each other was that night in his office where she blessed him with her "cute" baby barf.

He intently studied the child. As he did, he was suddenly caught unaware by the essential fact that he suddenly missed. Yes, he's long accepted that Rachel was a vital part of Cuddy's life, that Rachel made Cuddy happy in ways that even he wouldn't understand and that she was part of the package whether he liked it or not. But it didn't necessarily mean that his acceptance made him instantly prepared and maturely equipped to become some sort of father figure for the toddler. He was hardly boyfriend material, what more father-figure material? But, as he thought, it was never too late to try, right? It was going to be hard to bond with her and make her accustomed to his presence but he's always been pretty well with children. Their brutal honesty and outspokenness always makes for good comedy and company.

Rachel had a cheerio halfway near her mouth when she stilled, accepting the stubbly-faced man's challenge of a staring contest. Cerulean blue clashed with another darker shade of blue while they familiarized themselves with each other in the most unconventional of ways. A quick moment later Rachel blinked then popped the cheerio in her mouth as if nothing happened.

"Ha! I win!" House childishly declared with a smug chuckle. What he didn't expect though was for Rachel to erupt in a fit of toothy giggles. Was there something in his face? Maybe it was his voice. "Nice. You wave the white flag easily. So unlike your mother. We'll get along," House told her with a smirk, grabbing a cheerio from her table and popping it into his mouth before reaching for the bowl of icky stuff that Marina had been feeding her earlier.

Hey, he couldn't starve her now, could he? Imagine what Cuddy would do to _important_ parts of his anatomy. Or worse, imagine what Cuddy would generally do to _him_.

Another thing he didn't expect was Rachel's negation of his notion on possibly easily getting along with him as she chucked the cheerio she'd been holding at him. Or maybe she just found throwing things at him, or anybody else for that matter, funny. She took another and threw it at him again, this one hitting him square in the nose, squealing in a high-pitched voice as if what she had done was the most entertaining thing in the world. The little devil had a thing for food fights, another point for possibly getting along easily with the kid.

"Okay, enough with the squeals. It's obvious that your mother's prowess at being a shrieking harpy is infectious, and not hereditary. Mini-Cuddy in the making, huh?" Rachel nodded vigorously and House half-smiled, half-smirked despite himself at that coincidence. "Just to make it clear, I will _not_ make airplane sounds as I feed you. Seriously, parents should stop doing that, they make themselves look like idiots," House stated as-if Rachel could understand him. He took a half-spoonful of the food and glanced at it disgustedly for a while before placing it centimeters from the girl's lips. Rachel's eyes crossed as she looked down at the spoon from the tip of her nose, scanning what the spoon contained before opening her mouth and allowing House to feed her. "This should be banned! Let's try having your mom taste this next time and see if she'll like it," House answered, bobbing his eyebrows up and down, making Rachel giggle and clap her hands at him. Great, she seemed like she isn't in a crabby mood this morning. Lucky him.

House fed her for quite some time until she no longer accepted spoonfuls from him. He looked at the time and smirked. Cuddy was having one hell of a rest. Then he frowned, his forehead creasing. She must have been utterly physically and mentally exhausted last night. He sighed. That's okay, he'll be making it up to her. Now the only thing he had to do was think of a plan.

He knew she liked the beach. So the Jersey Shore would be a good start. Whatever, he'll just wing it. Now, he just had to get his bike from his old apartment, get her a helmet and then go back to her place before lunch.

How the hell does he do that? It was already 10:00 am.

He was about to go call for Marina when Rachel suddenly made a cacophony of incoherent words, looking up at him with wide eyes, her hands opening and closing alternately. She obviously wanted to be carried. But he didn't attribute her need to be carried as an instant bond with him. If he were a kid he surely wouldn't want to be left alone in his highchair in the kitchen. It wasn't really conceivable, for him, for Rachel to easily latch on to him. They spent together what, fifteen, twenty minutes tops? It couldn't be possible, could it?

House didn't know what to do. His leg wasn't a problem. Was he afraid that he'd drop her? No, he wouldn't, not in this lifetime—Cuddy would, literally, kill him. Maybe it was the fact that he'd actually be in contact with her. There was something about actually holding a person, especially tiny persons, children, in your own hands, in your arms. There's this something that gets transferred from that child's body and into yours. It makes your heart beat faster for some inexplicable reason. How their being in your arms gives you such a strong emotion of needing to secure them, not let them fall. There was a deeper feeling connected to it for this kid wasn't just anybody else's child, she was Cuddy's. Just like the sudden stillness and amazement that enveloped him when Emma Sloane's fetus, her _baby_, wrapped his tiny hand around his index finger. Children had so much life ahead of them. They had so much to learn about how fair and unfair the world could be and how much they have yet to learn about how life's complexities worked.

He had been dwelling far too much on what holding her for the second time would result to that he almost forgot she was still demanding to be carried. She was already making louder incoherent demanding mumbles with her fists now open and closing faster than earlier. Thankfully, he reached down and lifted her with his hands before she started wailing as her face had taken a pinkish tint that signaled the inevitable crying had he not picked her up. He held her securely yet with a slight distance from his chest, as if she had some disease he didn't want anywhere near him.

That was how Marina walked in on them with a slightly confused and surprised look on her visage. "I heard her whimpering, is everything alright?" she asked, worried not for the man but for the child whose well-being was entrusted to her.

Rachel's giggles answered Marina's concerns and the woman smiled at how Rachel reached forward, her chubby little hands splaying against either side of his cheek, cooing at the sensation the big man's stubble gave her. It was scratchy and interesting, her attention was sold.

"Could you take her?" House inquired, adding, "I have plans to make. I'll be taking Cuddy out," just in case the woman thought he didn't like what Rachel was doing. Children liked his stubble. He had to admit, it was roguishly sexy. Part of his charm, he thought smugly. Ego boost. Inflated ego plus one stroke!

Then House realized that the moment seemed just right if he wanted that extra few hours. Now, what was the woman's name again? Maria? Ma… Marina! Okay, sneaky devil charm, on. "Marina," he called out calmly as the woman had once again turned her back to him as she tended to Rachel. "I was wondering, if you don't have any other plans tonight, could you stay an extra couple of hours? I'll compensate you thankfully for your time. I wanted to take Cuddy out for the entire day," House said, ending his request with the reason. His ears went red in shyness at having to explain.

Marina knew how rarely Cuddy got to relax so she relented, nodding at the man. She didn't have anything planned for the night and she could use the extra money. She agreed to the man's request and watched as he sincerely thanked her and then exited the house when the cab honked up front.

_**

* * *

**_

Waking up alone in bed the way she had two decades ago was _not_ a good sign. To double check, she reached behind her to the other side of the bed and her arm fell on the cold empty side. She sighed heavily despite her restful sleep when she didn't feel the warmth she had fallen asleep to earlier that morning.

He couldn't have left again, could he? She suddenly felt her body tense at the thought of him cowering after the landslide of emotions they expressed. It was a very distressing thought to ponder.

Cuddy glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand and groaned. She's been too caught up in thinking about House—at the moment he was all she could blame—to even take note of the time blaring its angry red reminder to her. It was 11:07 am. It was 11:07 am on a Saturday, it was so late she possibly won't be going in for work, her stomach was rumbling, she hasn't jogged nor assumed any yoga poses yet to start her day, and worst of all—at the moment yes, it was the worst—House, that damned lunatic she loved, was nowhere in sight.

Don't panic, don't panic! Breathe in, breathe out… chop of his reproductive organs if he doesn't return, damn it!

That apparently did the trick as her breathing evened out the slightest bit. She gave a distressed sigh before making her way to her bathroom, concluding that staying still would do her no good. She did her business, brushed her teeth and washed her face before exiting her bathroom and sitting on her unkempt bed.

Yes, she did love him more, asleep! Seeing as asleep, he couldn't rationalize, he couldn't move nor talk, he couldn't run—or limp, nothing. She must have been delusional, or borderline insane, to _even _think and furthermore conclude that her day would go smoothly and end amazingly well. Half of the day hasn't even gone by yet!

"Penny for your thoughts?" House suddenly interrupted her internal paranoia from the frame of her bedroom door. "No, wait, let me guess," House kiddingly spoke, as if guessing her turmoil was a fun game. Internally, he found it funny that she was currently gaping at him like a fish. His face softened before he spoke again and said, "You thought I left," he stated, not really affected by her thinking it. What mattered was that he was there to prove he didn't, this time around. At this point, no matter how much it was the easiest- although most painful- way out, he won't be going anywhere. He'd only hurt her by doing so.

He didn't want the only woman he loved; the only woman who accepted him wholly for who he really was, the only woman who would ever put up with his crap and stay sane(not to mention, sleep with him either way!), to get hurt just by being close to him, _with_ him. He didn't want the people who actually gave a damn to be pushed away anymore. He has been taking baby steps to try and fix – the screwed up broken parts—himself for months now. He wanted to be happy.

Hesitantly, Cuddy replied in a whisper. "You couldn't blame me, you know," she honestly said, locking their gazes for a while, softening ceruleans clashing with guilty and confused sapphires. There, she said it. She'd rather say it than start a relationship with him based on lies. She broke their optical connection sooner than he expected and diverted her gaze to the floor.

Touché, House thought. He knew what she was talking about. "I was going to call you," he told her in the same soft way he had back in the 80s soiree in the Adirondacks. He hated to dwell in the past and what had been discovered the day after that but there was nothing to fret anymore, he was with her now.

Cuddy didn't want to put him on the spot. She didn't want to dwell on the negative memories of their past either. Last night, everything was forgiven even if not forgotten. They had a lot of time to really catch up and talk. Now wasn't the time.

She stood up and made her way to where he stood, toe to toe with him. She looked up and gazed at him with the smallest of smiles and a content glint in her eyes that made him move. He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her against him. Cuddy tilted her head up and met the lips slowly descending to meet her own.

Akin to the night before they kissed tenderly, unhurriedly, like amateur lovers getting to experience one's lips for the first time. Discovering, they traversed the expanse of each other's mouths. Cuddy's arms went up to wrap around his back and she lifted herself up by her toes to deepen their kiss, angling her head to such pleasurable position.

But before things could get heated and before he couldn't stop to restrain himself and keep him from his plans, he broke away from their kiss and leaned his forehead into hers.

"Morning," Cuddy greeted with a small smile. She shouldn't have been worried. As of far, there was nothing to worry about. "It's almost lunch," House replied with a smirk and Cuddy laughed, that guttural rumble from her throat which sounded a little like a purr. He found her laugh sexy. But right now, it was endearing. "Smartass," Cuddy chuckled in reply before running the tip of her nose along the length of his in the manner of way newly married couples did in the presence of Serenity and Sweetness at the dawn of a new day.

It was as if the earth conspired to make everything seem so peaceful for them at the moment, a blanket of serenity wrapping around their naturally diverse personalities and unconventional dynamic. It was moments like these that would make them not regret their decision to finally drop every fear, every doubt, and be together. It wasn't going to be easy, that they knew, but it was definitely going to be interesting.

"Skip work, it's Saturday," House whispered, not exactly keen to actually asking her out on a date with the words "Will you go out with me?" as a first step. He didn't want to be overrated, normal's overrated. She didn't want him to be. She wanted him to be himself, as hard or as crazy as the repercussions of him being himself could be at times. But she had long accepted him for who, how, and what he was and could be. She loved and hated the enigma that was _him_.

"Hmm," Cuddy hummed in thought, "Give me ten reasons why I shouldn't."

House grinned. She was wavering already. He didn't know that her decision had already been made before he even got there. "You drive a hard bargain. How about five?"

"No, ten." Cuddy grinned, it was always fun challenging him.

"Pity, I have but one."

"One? Better be one hell of a reason," Cuddy mumbled as she looked up at him with a lopsided grin, her eyes dancing with excitement at the prospect of going out with him as a couple.

"I miss you," House stated, turning red at the ears. He knew it was new for her to hear him say such saccharine phrases.

A shamelessly sweet smile blossomed to her features as she placed a palm on his cheek, rubbing her thumb against his jaw before patting him softly on the cheek. "Keep talking that way and we'll never get out of this room," she stated with a teasing grin.

As much as he itched to reply to that, he had a plan to put into action. They had time for the sexual innuendos and one-upping.

"I miss the _real_ Lisa Cuddy," House cleared, gazing into her eyes. "I wanted to take you out today and see if she's still buried somewhere inside you." He didn't know why but for the life of him, he couldn't call her _Lisa_. Her name was as beautiful as her but _Cuddy _was almost like a tradition. And as much as Cuddy liked how her given name rolled off of his lips, she had to admit it sounded so foreign. She liked _Cuddy _better. And she had to admit to herself, _Greg _wouldn't be coming out of her mouth anytime soon, either.

"She is," Cuddy replied with a nostalgic smile. Yes, it's been quite a long time since the last time she went out, had fun and just lived. She was always hooked to the hospital.

"So what do you say, Partypants? You up for it?" House teased, grinning at her. "Besides, you deserve a day off, telling me you love me must have taken its toll on you," he winked smugly. Cuddy could not help but smack him on the forearm. It was amazing how they could be sweet and intimate for one second then at each other's throat the next.

She then turned guilty. She couldn't afford to just up and go whenever she pleased… she had work to do even if she wouldn't be coming in, she had Rachel to mother, she had…

"They _will_ be surprised you didn't come in today but they'll get over it. Your paperwork could wait. Rachel's well-looked after, Marina will be staying until we get back. Just one day, 24 hours. You and me, nothing and no one else; no work, no Wilson, no Rachel…" House trailed off, leaving her to decide for herself. He wanted her to live for today and they'll worry about everything else tomorrow.

"Okay," Cuddy agreed, letting out a nervous smile. "Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"That, is a secret," House said, grinning. He told her to wait for him as he retrieved what he had gotten her from the hallway table. He came back into the room with a helmet in his hand. He handed it to her and grinned excitedly before exiting her room and leaving her to deduce what his gift was for.

"House, I will not be riding on your death trap!" House heard her call out from her bedroom.

House rolled his eyes. Such a drama queen. "You will, and you'll like it the same way you did back in Michigan," he stated knowingly with a charming smile when he popped his head into her room.

A frown suddenly crossed Cuddy's features when she remembered his injury. "Are you sure you could drive with your wound? You might—"

"I'm fine, mommy, re-bandaged it when I got showered and changed." House proudly stated like a kid boasting something 'adult-like' that he had done.

"You went back to your apartment?" Why did that enter her mind just now? They left his apartment messy and… oh thank God she had flushed his pills down the drain! "Had to get our medium of transportation, a helmet, and bought you a new one. Knew you wouldn't ride without observing the "Safety first" rule," House smirked at her. "There's nothing wrong in observing—" "Yada, yada, you coming or not?" House cut her off, impatient for her to find out where he'll be taking her.

Cuddy acquiesced, successfully hiding the excitement of riding behind him again bubbling in the pit of her stomach. House left his post the moment she nodded her head. She looked down at the Post It note attached to one of the stars on her new helmet. She chuckled as she read his note. She shook her head in amusement.

There would never be a dull moment with him.

She smiled and walked to the mirror in her bedroom. She wore the helmet and felt herself blush when it fit her perfectly. Next time he'd be buying her skimpy lingerie. The man had a talent with figuring sizes.

As she gazed at herself with the helmet, her Blackberry suddenly rang from her nightstand. She smirked at the caller's ID displayed and answered it anyway. "What?" she asked, trying to sound annoyed.

"Stop sampling the merchandise and get a move on! I made lunch reservations. Move that supertanker before I go in there and help you!" House urged on the other line.

Cuddy rolled her eyes at his childishness but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. He made plans. For them. It was exhilarating. He was acting like a child on Christmas morning.

"I know I'm amazing, bow down to my awesomeness later, now move!" House demanded playfully, a smirk on his face as he popped his head in again.

Instead of throwing back a retort, Cuddy refrained and instead walked to where he was standing. She dropped a kiss on his unsuspecting lips and sashayed into her bathroom, impatient to know where he would be whisking her off to for the day.

House watched her disappear to the bathroom and smiled to himself.

As he closed the door to the bedroom, House loudly whistled a lively tune all the way out of the house and to his bike, waiting for Cuddy to exit her house.

_**

* * *

**_

"Are you sure House didn't harass you into staying?" Cuddy asked suspiciously at the smiling woman. She's asked Marina round two times already and the woman kept denying anything.

"Oh no, Dr. Cuddy, he's been really nice," Marina negated with a polite smile.

House… nice? To someone he barely knew? That's a creepy thought.

Cuddy then resisted the urge to roll her eyes as realization hit her. Of course! House had always been the charmer whenever he needed something. And Marina didn't really know him personally.

"I don't mean to pry but… what happened to you and Lucas?" Marina asked, her voice a little shaky. Although she's had several personal conversations with Cuddy, she knew she was still her employer. Threading on sensitive topics is a very risky thing to do. You never knew whether there would be landmines hidden just where you're about to step.

"It didn't work out between us… I broke it off. As hard as it will be for others to believe and accept, I love the jackass waiting for me outside. I couldn't help it," Cuddy replied, that small smile gracing her face again. It was nice to have someone to talk to other than doctors and relatives.

Even with Lucas, Marina had never seen Cuddy as smiley as she was today. So she smiled back. "He is a very good man, that Dr. House. He offered to help with Rachel even for a while. He fed her, then carried her for a while. He looked funny while carrying Rachel, though. He held her at a distance because she was about to cry but Rachel silenced at once, amused by his stubble. She giggled loudly I thought you would wake up," Marina told her briefly with a smile.

"I think he is better than Lucas was," Marina confided. Rachel never giggled as much with Lucas. But it was still too early to compare.

House did… seriously? She knew he could easily put up an act to earn Marina's good favors but she knew that House wouldn't do anything if he really didn't want to. And she knew—well, thought, that he wouldn't want anything to do with Rachel as of now. She understood that it would take him time to form a bond with her daughter, and she wasn't pushing.

But he surprised her today. He made the step. Even if yes, maybe he did it to win Marina over and ask her to look after Rachel for longer, but he _still _helped. He even carried her and made her laugh.

An urge to thank House was presently forming in her head but she shook it off. She'll let him handle his bonding with Rachel in his own terms. She had faith in him.

Oh, he was going to be really, really lucky tonight, Cuddy thought with a smile as she thanked Marina, said goodbye to her radiant daughter, and exited her home with a radiant smile on her face.

Things were really looking up. Was this what real happiness felt like?

So it seemed.

_**

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**_

Less than an hour later she emerged from her front door wearing casual jeans, high heels, and a salmon-colored long-sleeved top. She was smiling as she approached him from where he was straddling his bike. "Ready to go?" he asked, pulling the helmet he had given her earlier from her hands and placing it on her head, adjusting the strap and securing it under her chin.

Cuddy shook her head at him and grinned, unfastening the belt of his jacket and slipping it off of his shoulders. "Now, I'm ready," she answered as she wore his jacket, fastening the belt on her midsection.

"Will you ever tell me where you're taking me?" she tried to pry again, really curious as to where they'll be eating. She hasn't had breakfast yet.

"I can't. It's a secret," he said as he balanced the bike for her to climb behind him.

"Please?" Cuddy asked, trying to sound as sweet as she could.

"Fine," House relented. Then he chuckled gutturally, pretty sure she'll strangle him. "I don't know, I haven't even finalized the plans with myself yet," he admitted through lying teeth, looking back at her through his side mirrors.

"House!" Cuddy scolded, slapping him in the back. She should have known! "I thought you made plans?" she chastised, feeling her blood boil to that point of craving to banter and bicker with him.

"I did," House smirked playfully, "I told you. I _made_ plans."

"You're impossible," Cuddy pouted resignedly then leant her helmet-clad head on his back. She was really hungry. The bickering and bantering could wait a few hours.

House laughed. "Fine. We're going to a place you've always wanted to go to but never found the time nor gotten the reservation."

A dreamy look took over Cuddy's face as she melted at the thought of being… no, could it really be…? "Briganti?" Cuddy asked breathlessly.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" House cheered with a very pleased grin at her reaction.

"How did you know?" Cuddy asked, smiling brightly at the news.

"How long have you known me?" House asked, looking back at her with an eyebrow bobbing at her. Cuddy chuckled. He always had his way of discovering things.

"Now drive, I'm hungry!" Cuddy ordered, pecking him once on the lips before wrapping her arms around his waist. House rolled his eyes at how loose her arms hung around him so he held her hands with his and then wrapped them tighter around his midsection. From behind him Cuddy smiled and rested her chin on his shoulder. House secured his helmet, started the engine and revved his bike once before answering to her earlier order.

"Yes, mistress."

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**__**A/N: **I hope everyone liked it! :D_

_Was it worth the wait? Should I continue?_

_**Please leave a review, let me know what you think :D**_

_Constructive criticism, love and sugar adored. :)_

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_**For fic news, spoilers, sneak peeks, etc.,**_

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	4. Chapter 4

_**Spoiler Warning: **__Includes the beach pics. Not my take on it._

_**Supposedly this was the SMUTTY chapter. Apparently, I'll be making 5 chapters for NOW. **_

_**Next SMUTTY chapter coming to you in 24 hours. :)**_

_Many, many thanks, hugs and kisses to my friend and wonderful beta for this chapter, __**Mel aka HughSoSexy!**__ Thanks so much for taking time to edit and letting me know what you think! :) _

_**Happy Huddy Eve!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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If only time could stand still.

If only the winds and paths in life they were pushing against were as submissive as the winds they were easily cutting through now, then maybe, they would have been together for a long time already. Thoughts raced through both of their minds, finding the real reason—aside from their own fears and internal demons—why they hadn't worked out in the beginning.

Or maybe fate was just preparing them for its original plan for their twisted love story. Possibly. Indeed, they've finally coupled, but that was just the beginning of this adventurous thing they'll finally be having. A relationship. So was this what Fate really planned?

Either way, they embraced the now more fully. Too much time wasted, too many heartbreaks passed and they were finally here, riding his motorcycle, him bringing her somewhere. They wished time would stand still.

Until today, she never fully understood what he had been thinking when he purchased this vehicle. She thought it was just House being House, proving that he could be normal. But truly, she understood it better now. He bought it because in a way, it made him feel free, made him feel normal. It allowed him to _run_. It was, to an extent, his emancipation from his boundaries.

She felt even more special, being allowed to experience the liberation he felt. It was him learning to open himself up to her.

She held onto him tightly, the speed at which he was going frightening her yet liberating her at the same time. Two decades, her mind counted for her, two decades since the last time she's ridden behind him. The heat radiating from his body keeping her warm despite the jacket she stole from him. Her hands slid under his shirt, feeling his heated skin under her palms. Her eyes were more often closed than open.

All she wanted to do was feel.

Once in a while she'd look, tracing her eyes along the streets they were passing by. Once in a while, she'd abruptly open her eyes, flinching at sudden turns he'd make while clinging onto him tighter. Knowing that he wouldn't have anything happen to them if it could be helped, she buried her face against his shoulder and nape, relaxing herself into him, molding her body to his back, surrendering her safety in his hands. She trusted him.

Some minutes later she sensed something off. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see them slowing down onto the sidewalk. House brought her to the Jersey Shore. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the beach, the fresh air. She smiled and hugged him tighter from behind.

She got down when he parked and waited for him to park it properly and set the stand near the boardwalk. When he dismounted his bike she latched onto his arm, practically dragging him towards the stairs that led to the beach. When they got down she suddenly turned, facing him, frowning. "What about your leg?" she asked, knowing that the cane wouldn't help him much in the sand.

"I'll be fine," House told her reassuringly, turning her so she could lead the way. "Go find us a spot, woman!" he exclaimed playfully then added, "I'm right behind you."

He watched from behind her as she took off her Christian Louboutins, hooking her index finger and middle finger on either shoe to carry them as she walked barefoot on the sand. He watched as her hair danced along to the wind's rhythm, gazed at her with the ghost of a smile playing at his lips when she smiled as her feet sank just a few inches into the fine sand.

She looked back at him with that thousand-watt smile that never failed to make him smile in return. Her eyes twinkled under the clouds which were partly covering the sun's light, making her eyes even more entrancing. He randomly wondered how his looked.

She beckoned him to follow her, like a Siren tempting a seafarer, index finger curling for him to pursue her as she smiled seductively. He had to suppress a smirk at her actions but he loved that bringing her here made her happy. He was starting to get a glimpse of the old Lisa Cuddy he knew 20 years ago. And as he could see, the word 'fun' still existed in her vocabulary.

He slowly followed her, sensing that she was going to set camp at the big log lying on the sand about thirty feet from him. When she finally got there, she sat on the lumber and set her heels on a flat surface on it. He took his time, wanting to be able to safely make his way there instead of falling due to hurrying and then hurting himself, ending their escape too soon.

Cuddy sat watching him make his way to her. She saw his face contort in slight pain—flinches—as he trekked the sands, step by step making his way to where she sat. She didn't dare help him, he would reject it. And for some reason, nothing in her body was urging her to rush to his aid because she knew he could do it. Of course he could, it just took him longer to finish the walk.

When he finally got to her, he plopped down on the sand and she slid down beside him, laying her head on his shoulder, cautious of his wound. "Glad you could make it," she mumbled playfully, her fingers playing with his tee.

"Funny," he deadpanned, trying to calm his breathing. Limping on sand wasn't an easy feat for his leg. But he wasn't mad at her playful joke. He was used to her throwing stuff like that at him. It was normal for them. And he liked that about her: she didn't treat him like the cripple he was if she could help it. Hell, he even liked it when they used it against him while they were throwing barbs at each other.

Cuddy frowned at his reply. She knew it had been difficult for him at some level. "You okay?" she asked, raising her head up to meet his cerulean eyes, bluer than usual. Her hand instinctively went up to cup his cheek, wanting to know if he really was okay.

House gazed into her eyes, wondering how this woman could melt him with her gaze—and, admittedly, turn him on in some occasions. He glanced down at her pouty, ajar lips and back to her glorious orbs. Tentatively, he leant forward, alternately looking from her luscious lips to her clear sapphire eyes.

She closed the distance and pressed her lips against his, kissing him lovingly. She couldn't stop thinking how she loved his lips. She loved the way he kissed her. Be it passionately or tenderly, she loved it. A few seconds later they separated, his palm and fingers stroking her back soothingly while her palm remained splayed against his cheek, her middle finger tickling the back of his ear unconsciously and her thumb running along his jaw.

"Now I'm okay," he answered, grinning mischievously at her. He found it intriguing how many times he's smiled today and last night. Not only did she make him feel funny, she was the only one who could make him happy.

"Good to know," Cuddy grinned, smiling at him again before laying her head back on his shoulder, mindful of his bandaged wound. When she couldn't find a comfortable position against his shoulder from the limitations his bandage brought, she settled on laying her head on his chest. She found it a far better spot than his shoulder. She could hear his heart beating under her ear, the soft thumps relaxing her. She never thought that he was one for snuggling or cuddling and it amused her that he was. She had no complaints about it. She sighed then smiled pleasurably when she felt his fingers on her waist, drumming a soundless tune against her side.

It could turn out to be a perfect day after all.

They sat there in comfortable silence, enjoying the view in front of them. He focused his attention to the woman huddled against him while his eyes focused on the waves. Her ears listened to the beat of his heart while her eyes adored the clouds.

House trailed his eyes on the waves rolling onto the shore, soaking the sand. He could not help but take notice of how it resembled him. He was a wave, journeying the depths and the enormity of the sea to find grounds where he'd wash up, separating himself as a ripple of water soaking the fine grains of sand, wondering if the place he crashed into was well worth the journey.

Was she the land? Was she the sand he crashed into? No, he thought. She was the clouds guiding him to safety. It may leave him from time to time but it was always there, always hovering, sometimes smothering, most of the time a comfort. She may have tried to escape her love and feelings for him, but their connection and history was far too great and indestructible. She was the cloud which watched over his journey, once in a while blowing him to the shore, leading him to peace, finding him solemnity from the restlessness of the currents dragging his feet back into the depths of the sea he escaped from.

He was the Odysseus of his own epic. 20 years of journeying through perilous challenges, rough seas, and he was finally home—well, he had thought he was, until he found out that the woman he loved has accepted a new lover. But last night he has ultimately triumphed over Lucas. Although it was ironic that when he had finally decided to stop with everything, that was when her feelings started to cave in. She went to him and saved him. He had finally come home to the woman he loved, not necessarily a brand new man, but a man doused with numerous experiences and new knowledge and perspectives on things he once never thought to stop for and appreciate.

He was the wave who has finally learned from his long journey after having gone through it many times like a hamster in an exercise wheel. He was the ripple of water which seeped into the fine grains of the sands of time, carrying all that he's learned no matter the weight of it all, finally realizing that he was where he should be, where he's long wanted to be, with the cloud wrapped around him at that moment.

She was his peace of mind.

She was not without tribulations either. She has long watched over, only her wind being able to help him on his way. She was a powerful force to be trifled with. And she herself was terrified of what effects she had on him. He was as fragile as glass and she feared her strength would shatter him. And a few months ago, he reached out a hand for her to help him through the currents and tides of his life, but she had turned him down from the poisonous drops of liquid hate he had drenched her in. His words had scarred her, his words had cut her and she just… stopped caring. She let him drown in himself. She failed to watch over him the moment he needed her most. And that… shattered her and made her cower. She had failed. That was when she started to be afraid of how she affected him; Of how her smallest of actions hit him like an eighteen-wheeler truck on full speed.

The same way she had hit him unintentionally when she started dating Lucas. He was his friend, or was supposed to be. But she had done that for herself. She had to keep her distance from House, else she'd be stuck looking after him. It had been high time she looked after herself. But Lucas had been the wrong person. Yes, he was reliable, he was nice, but he wasn't her Odysseus. He wasn't the man she truly loved.

Cuddy sighed as she glanced at the soothing sounds of the waves washing upon the shore. Her fingers drummed on his chest a beat neither of them could hear. But House thought she was following the beat of his heart. It was undeniably soothing.

Both were grateful the worst storm has passed and the dark clouds have cleared. The waves and the clouds were now in perfect harmony. Like them. And though House and Cuddy knew that it wouldn't always be smooth sailing for them across the forthcoming sea of challenges that lay just below the horizon, they were heartened to know that the good things would make up for the bad.

Love isn't ever _not_ complicated.

To make matters more challenging, they were already complicated to begin with.

But… all of the bad times, the fights, arguments, and misunderstandings that would be coming their way, would pave the way for happiness or any semblance of it.

These were the negative essentials, negative but essentials nonetheless, that will make everything _real_. The things that would- if they overcome them—make everything worth everything they've been through, in the end.

They sighed in unison then looked at each other, Cuddy chuckling at the coincidence. "I remembered you like the beach," House suddenly spoke, opening up to her the reason he brought her here.

"I'm glad you remembered," she whispered, smiling in reminiscence of the last time they have gone to a beach with friends 20 years ago.

"How could I forget?" House rhetorically asked and she was about to smile when he characteristically added, "You were wearing that white bikini that hid almost nothing."

He grinned at her, eyes squinting in a teasing manner and that's when she pouted and glared at him. She kneeled so she could stand up but he tightened his arm around her, nailing her on her knees on the sand.

"You're much hotter now than you were before," he whispered seductively, looking her in the eyes. She tried not to let a grin occupy her visage and was successful at doing so. "It's a massive turn on," he told her, grinning now.

Cuddy bit her lip to stop the grin this time but failed miserably. She grasped either side of his cheeks with her palms and looked him in the eyes before kissing him, passionately this time. As much as she loved him being gentle on her, she sometimes liked it hot, rough, and passionate. They savored each other's taste, the pulp on one another's lips, their tongues dancing together until they could no longer handle the loss of breath. They parted, her face flushed, his ears reddened cutely. She brushed her fingers on the curls above his nape, her eyes waiting for his to open. She smiled as she waited, seemingly mesmerized that they were here, together.

"You hungry?" he inquired, knowing that neither of them have had breakfast yet. She laid her head on his biceps, an arm behind him while her left hand stroked his left arm. She shook her head. No, she didn't want to leave yet. But hungry, she was.

It was infrequent that she got to escape her administrative life. She's always been too hooked on wanting everything to be fine, if not perfect. She liked her first baby well-oiled and functional. That's why it was the best. But it being the best was also the reason she couldn't try and give herself a breather to think of her own life.

"Let's stay here a while," she whispered, staring off at a distance.

"Okay," House whispered, looking at the sand as if it were interesting. He fisted a hand, feeling the grains try and escape from his grasp. He continued doing this for a while, just letting her savor the moment she wasn't anywhere near paperwork or a group of donors or people whining about his antics.

He let her _live_ today, Cuddy thought, her heart smiling. He let them escape the place where they were supposed to be at right now. She had agreed, hesitant at first but it was a good escape, she thought. And House was thoughtful enough—romantic enough, to have planned it at the last second. She wondered if she'd ever experience more of this side of him as they ventured into something new for them both. A new chapter in their history.

A part of House, the curious side, wanted to ask her about her sudden change of heart but his heart and the romantic side of him, made him back off. He needn't think hard why she chose him. He needn't think why she loved him.

Love need not a reason.

One couldn't choose who to love.

Not even the strong Lisa Cuddy. She had fought hard against her feelings. She had fought bravely to stop letting him back into her heart. She just couldn't. And so she finally gave in to the waves of emotions that had finally broken through last night.

She loved him. There was no reason for it. She loved him because he was who he was. She just couldn't help herself any longer.

The game of love finally came to an end for them. Denial and hurting each other ceased. They couldn't hurt like that anymore. She couldn't marry a man she wasn't in love with. She couldn't marry a man whilst she was in love with somebody else. Lucas had accepted defeat. Cuddy had talked to him calmly, apologizing for doing it to him. She had told him that she couldn't help who she loved. She told him sincerely what she liked about him, and that somebody better was out there for him. But it wasn't her. Her heart belonged to House, no matter how much of an ass he was. How could he rank alongside House, after all. He already had a 20-year head start to capture Cuddy's heart. How could he compete with that? It had started as a pursuit of what House had but didn't know he had. But then he fell in love with the woman he knew was, deep down, in love with House. He had betrayed House's friendship by trying to get Cuddy. What started as a challenge, a competition on who gets the woman first, ended blowing up in his face. Cuddy wasn't for him. He relented last night. He was hurt, yes. He lost one hell of a woman and it was, partly, his fault. She was a diamond in the rough.

"House?" she whispered, gazing at the clouds, trying to make out the shapes and forms. He hummed in acknowledgement of hearing her question.

"You're not going to ask me about Lucas?" she inquired almost awkwardly. It wasn't like him to not ask her about it. She knew he didn't want to seem smug about it but she just wanted to know what he was thinking.

"There's nothing to ask," he whispered, accepting. He gazed down at the top of her head, the side of his face twitching a bit, supposedly a smile but it didn't tug up into one. She shifted in his hold, pulling her arm from behind him and leaning back against his left side, his left arm wrapping around her and settling on her side, his hand upturned on her stomach.

Without hesitance, she took her right hand and laced their fingers, loving how her smaller palm fitted his much bigger one. She wondered at how their fingers laced perfectly. Like the right key for a lock. The last piece of one another's puzzle.

Cuddy instantly knew, upon gazing down at how they fit perfectly, she _will_ fight for this. It's been too long a tango they've shared. Full of emotions, full of tension, of passion. But she wanted them to switch to something else. She wanted them to just sway. Sway to something better. Of course, the thrill of tangoing would always be there but there was something about being with him like this in an intimate way. Sitting there leaning against him, wrapped in him, she felt utterly connected with him. It was a most welcomed feeling.

She didn't know what to say to his acceptance. She wanted to thank him but it sounded wrong to thank him. But maybe, her silence implied that. Thank you for not pushing. Thank you for not questioning. Thank you for just accepting.

Cuddy released a breath she hadn't known she was taking and was about to say something about their well-fitted hands when he suddenly spoke, low, admittedly sexy, and almost sheepish. "It fits," he said, gazing down at their hands before meeting her eyes, her head tilted back a little to look at him with sparkling eyes which he wanted to tease her about looking googly-eyed with but he couldn't help but give her a slightly awkward smile in return. Damn his romanticism making him soft in front of her.

But then, he thought, maybe she didn't mind this side of him from time to time.

"It does," she answered, that smile which resembled the one she had given him last night gracing her face. "_We_ do," she whispered, her eyelashes batting, grazing the top of her cheeks beautifully. He was lost in her, in her eyes. He leaned forward, pecking her quickly, eyes open to see her face in daylight. To see how her face's expressions changed as he kissed her. He had seen hers last night. He had to know how she looked in day. As he pulled back, he couldn't help admit that either way, she was still beautiful. A goddess. His. Finally.

God, he wanted this to work. Even if it resulted in him having to turn to a higher power like how this thought first started.

Things would be different when they got back to work. Great, now it was him thinking about that hospital. "How do we do this?" he asked, starting to toy with the sand using his hands again as she shuffled to his side, drawing her knees up a bit.

Her face turned serious as she started stroking the exposed skin of his biceps with her fingers. "I don't know…" she stated, just as lost as he was. "I just want it to work," she whispered, looking down, her right hand perched on his back.

"Yeah," he whispered, glad to know she was thinking the same, and to hear her verbal acknowledgement that they were in this together. He huddled her to him, the side of her face nestled on the left side of his chest, a little below his wound. Her hand made its way to his torso, splaying it against his stomach, loving the warmth he brought her. It was windy and a little cold that day. He surprised her by locking his fingers around her in an embrace. She closed her eyes while he looked down, never ever done thinking how much of a lucky bastard he was to have her now.

Cuddy smiled, loving the feel of his strong arms around her, loving the feel of his biceps enclosing her small frame. She felt so safe ensconced in his arms like this. Nothing but them. If only things were this easy.

But they weren't and they had to face things soon enough. They had tomorrow to look forward to, though, before the madness in the hospital returns to normal. But she'd think about tomorrow, tomorrow, and she'd think about Monday on Monday.

Right now, all she could think of was today.

And he just had to spoil her peace by suddenly asking, "What do you think Wilson would say?"

As she thought of it, she suddenly burst out a low chuckle, her hand rising from his stomach as she gestured and said, "I have no idea."

"Was sex with Lucas good?" he asked, smiling annoyingly cute at her. At least he wasn't uncomfortable—or if he was, he wasn't showing it—with the matter anymore.

She groaned at him, pouting as she started to get up again. "I'll take that as a no," he said chuckling.

"House!" she scolded, standing up and pushing her hands against his chest as he laughed, his arms spread wide as he asked her what he had asked wrong.

"What? Don't worry, I'll make sure to make you feel like a woman when we get back," he teased, his voice sexily gruff and that rare smile of his plastered on his face.

Cuddy gutturally laughed despite her annoyance. As much as she hated to compare, she couldn't deny that House was, despite his leg, amazing at sex. A proof was what she still remembered 20 years ago and the love session they had earlier that morning.

"Come on, I'll give you a kiss to make you feel better," he said lecherously, loving how he could still banter and bicker with her.

"Nice try," she said, not budging as she stood up.

"Come on," he whined, pouting up at her.

Cuddy rolled her eyes but kneeled in front of her giant lummox and cupped the left side of his face, her fingers stroking him sending shivers up and down his spine. She gazed at his baby blues for a while, loving how they reflected the sea behind her, loving how he was still the House she knew with a few new quirks added. "I love you," she whispered, not able to help herself from articulating what and how she felt. House kissed her, smiling against her lips as his hands rested on her lower back, caressing her there. He didn't have to reply she knew from the way he was returning her kiss that he felt the same.

They fell into another silent embrace, just enjoying each other's presence, enjoying the surroundings which didn't consist of hospital beds, doctors: their usual setting. They enjoyed this small escape. It was their reconnection before they started work again that coming Monday.

For what seemed like half an hour they sat on the sand, talking quietly about things, even talking seriously about Rachel. She told him that she only wanted him to be himself, only with the added consideration that Rachel was just an infant. Of course, House understood that, he just added some suggestions which were insane to tick her off a little.

"I can't be an adjusted father figure overnight. I doubt I ever would be," he honestly told her, not wanting to crush her hopes but not wanting her to believe he could be what he thought she wanted him to be.

"I never asked you to be, House," she answered just as honestly. "I just want you to be yourself. You could be Uncle House or even just House… I just want you to treat her like _my _daughter and not some other person's." she whispered, understanding that he had had issues with his father when he was a kid. She never did know the rest of the story. But she understood and she didn't pry. He'd tell her in his own time. "But in time," she cautiously added, "if you want to be, I don't have any problem with that, either."

House thought it through. He was scared shitless about having to deal with a child. Especially Cuddy's. Surely there'd be a time that he'll have to babysit the kid. What if he does something unintentionally… what if—

He was cut off by her lips on his again. "You'll be okay," she assured as if she read his thoughts. He nodded his head, uncertain but assured that she'd be there for him when it came to trying to bond with the kid.

"Come on," he reluctantly said, straightening up. "I could hear your stomach grumbling its protest."

Cuddy chuckled and agreed. She stood up, dusting the sand off her bottom before extending a hand to House. He extended one hand towards her and she helped pull him up, groaning a little from his weight. He smiled when they finally got him upright. She took her shoes and his cane and allowed him to use her as his crutch.

"House, I'm not that frail, you could lean on me a bit," she told him after noticing that he wasn't actually leaning on her for support. He relaxed a little at her reassurance before draping his arm around her shoulders and she snaked a hand behind him. Together they made their way back to his bike.

But before House mounted, Cuddy cornered him on the boardwalk railing, her hands on either side of him. He could've made her move or escape her but he was intrigued and excited to know what she would do. When she was sure he would remain still, she put her hands on his chest, caressing him before looking up at him sweetly. "Thank you, for bringing me here," she told him with a smile. "Last time I've gone to the beach was years ago."

House was glad this idea was a success. He smiled back, proud to have made her happy with this simple gesture of remembering what she liked. "You're welcome," he replied, placing his hands on her hips.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek before turning around and waiting for him to prep the bike. When he finally did, she settled behind him, confident on wrapping her arms tighter around him and under his shirt. She smiled against his back as he drove off, driving them to Briganti's.

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_**A/N: **__I hope you liked it! :D_

_**Please leave some love and sugar! **_

_**Leave a review to lemme know what you think!**_

_HUDDY DAY TOMORROW! Who's excited? *hand raised*_


	5. Chapter 5

_**SPOILER Warning: **__Based on some of the promos of some Huddy loving we got! Twisted them a little and added some original stuff._

_**SMUT WARNING: **__FIRST TIME in my smut-writing life that I had CUDDY go down on House! So please, lol, show me some love! xD_

_Thank you to **Maya (Maya_295)** for betaing upon such short notice! And thanks for the notes and tips! :D *hugs* Check her work on , people! She writes Huddy awesomely!_

_**THE S7 Premiere is epic! And that's not only the Huddy in me talking. ;)**_

_**Happy Huddy Day**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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The Italian restaurant wasn't full of people only a few couples and singles here and there. The place was small but it was very homey and quaint. House and Cuddy were seated at the far side of the restaurant, in a quiet corner, far from the other clients.

They have already had lunch, Cuddy getting herself a vegetarian lasagna while House had a meaty lasagna. They skipped the wine as per Cuddy's demand—and she really almost pinched him for urging them to do so.

"I was wondering," Cuddy started as she licked her lips after having another spoon of her dessert, strawberry gelato. "Maybe we could go to HR on Monday? I don't want to have to hide this… us."

House shrugged. "Makes sense. At least I know you're not ashamed of me," he added with a coy smile. Cuddy's brows furrowed at that reply. "I know there'll be times when I probably will, knowing how you could be at work. But I've never been ashamed of you or being your friend," she told him, reaching across the table to put her hand on top of his.

From her words, House gave a curt nod. "Won't that create trouble for you? I mean, the board could—"

Cuddy shook her head, patting his hand. "It'll be harder if they find found out some way else," she told him knowingly. "And they already create trouble for me. Nothing's really new."

House sighed. "Sorry you'll have to put up with me at work _and _outside the hospital," he apologized.

Cuddy gave him a smile, finding it cute that he was apologizing for being who he was. He shook her head once again. "I want you to be you, House. Just… tone it down a bit when we get to HR, okay?" House nodded, taking a spoonful of his Hershey's gelato.

"I could stay at my apartment," House suddenly announced after a few minutes. Cuddy looked at him, brows furrowing. "I cleaned everything up when I got there earlier," he informed her, eyes lowered to his dessert.

"If that's what you want," Cuddy said slowly, a little hesitant.

"Yes," House nodded, looking at her.

"Okay," she said, giving him the space he wanted despite them being together.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Cuddy gave him a reassuring smile.

He'll be okay.

"Where do you want to go next?" House asked, changing topic, pursing his lips and waiting for her answer.

Cuddy perked up a little at this and she pulled her hand back, propping her chin on it with her elbow on the table. "I get to choose?" she amusedly asked him with that lopsided grin of hers. House gave a nonchalant shrug. He had a full tank of gas. And his leg was pretty much a good boy today.

Cuddy smiled sweetly at this but shook her head. "Let's just go back to your place," she told him. She could've said _her _place but she guessed that along with acting all-perfect to Marina, he had also taken advantage of asking her babysitter to stay the night or at least stay longer than she was paid for, for a generous compensation. He was a master-charmer and an opportunist.

"You sure?" he asked her, surprised she didn't want to go anywhere else.

"Yes," she nodded, smiling.

"Because I got us tickets to a Springsteen concert," he revealed.

Cuddy perked up at this but frowned. "You bought them from a scalper…?" she inquired, suspicious.

"Anything wrong with that?" House asked her, lips pursed.

"Yes," Cuddy started, smiling fondly at him. Too bad his money went to waste if he's already paid the guy in advance. "They don't sell the tickets online. You only get to buy the tickets there. I checked," she answered truthfully. At least he'd know where his money went to.

House was silenced. Well, that was the first flub of their day. "Sorry," he apologized, glancing awkwardly at her. Why was she smiling?

"Let's just get back to your place," she stated softly, "I'd rather stay there with you for a few hours."

House gave her a small smile then nodded. They finished their dessert and House paid the tab. They hopped on House's bike once again and he drove them back to Princeton, back to his place.

* * *

They were silent as they entered his sanctuary. He opened the door for her and let her enter ahead of him, closing the door behind him when he got inside. Cuddy removed his jacket and hung it on his coat rack, removing her cardigan as well, revealing a white sleeveless shirt.

" How about we have some wine now?" House asked her with a grin, remembering how she fought him earlier about not having any because he was driving.

"Sure," she returned the grin and turn around, examining the things in his apartment more closely.

House left her to her unearthing of his things and got them each a glass of red wine. He leaned on the archway that lead to his kitchen as he watched her look at his stuff, unaware that a serene smile had made its way on his face. This was how it felt like, he thought. Not being alone.

"Done rummaging around in my stuff?" he asked with a smirk, extending one of his hands to her, tempting her with a glass of wine.

She chuckled. "Not quite," she said, taking the glass from him, "I still need time to get acquainted with them."

"To us," House suddenly said, almost sheepishly, his voice low, his cerulean eyes penetrating her beautiful sapphire ones. He raised his glass to them, waiting for her to clink hers with his.

Cuddy lovingly gazed at him then smiled small. "To us," she repeated, clinking her glass with his.

"Now what?" Cuddy then breathed as they finished their glasses of wine, shortly after.

"I think…" House whispered hoarsely, sexily in fact, as he came closer to her on the couch. He heard her breath hitch as she craned her neck to make more space for his lips, which were closing in on her pulse point.

His lips finally landed on their intended destination and she felt a gasp involuntarily exit her mouth, her eyes shutting closed as his lips brushed the side of her neck with sweet, sloppy kisses and nibbles, teasing her endlessly as his right hand propped on her left side. He felt her left hand run up and down his arm in a sensual manner, sending sparks through his body and he set on pleasuring her more with his mouth. He trailed his adept lips up her throat, groaning quietly at the vibrations it made as he made his way, higher and higher until her reached her jaw.

"…we should take a dip in the tub," he finally completed his suggestion, lips close to her ear, his breath doing wonders to her body. She sighed at the loss of contact of his lips on her skin.

He pulled back, standing up and extending a hand towards her. She finally opened her eyes, revealing a cloudy haze of desire, lust, and love and if _that_ wouldn't have turned him on, House would have instantly cast himself off as loony, or 'in love' with Wilson! "Come on," he said, as he grinned mischievously at her. "I'll rub your back," he winked exaggeratedly at her.

Cuddy took a deep breath, feeling her arousal dulling as she allowed House to pull her from the couch. A soak wouldn't be bad, she thought. They both could use it. Her hair was a little too untamed from all the wind from the beach. But what she didn't know was that House loved it when her hair was untamed. Untamed or slightly tamed, maybe straightened a bit, but with curls proudly cascading. He didn't like it when her hair was overly straightened. It didn't have the Cuddy feel to it.

Together they walked to his bathroom and Cuddy could tell that he really did clean the mess that was there just hours before.

The hole in the wall was an empty reminder of that same hole into which he had almost retreated to earlier that day. The hole that sheltered him, hid him, along with his pain and the drugs that would have destroyed him again. He shuddered as the thought hit him again. The 'What if's. But he stopped himself before he started. He'd chosen the best path. He hadn't chosen the easy way out but the difficult one, the least travelled road. He'd chosen the woman. He had her now. And in the past few hours, it had proven that it was the right choice.

They stood in front of his tub, her back against his chest. As they waited for water to fill the tub, House wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind while he tucked her head under his chin, loving the peacefulness of what they were doing. Cuddy placed her hands on tops of his. When she saw that the tub was almost half-full, she held the back of his hands with hers, sliding them down to grasp the hem of her sleeveless shirt. Together they lifted it off of her and offhandedly tossed it away over their shoulders, not bothering looking where it fell. House ran his hands down her sides, feeling the heat radiating off of her and the softness of her skin. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, slowly climbing up her neck and behind her ear. "Beautiful," he whispered lovingly.

She turned round inside his arms, kissing him once before he parted from her lips and continued to trace kisses up and down her neck. Her hand clutched onto his toned biceps, holding him firmly there while her other hand held on to the side of his neck, splayed there, encouraging him to taste her more. He always had this capacity to make her feel better about her body. He made her feel gorgeous.

As he kissed her neck, she gasped at a sudden bite he gave her, but soon moaning afterward, when he sucked at the spot he'd just nipped. She didn't even bother that he was giving her scruff burn, didn't bother that he was marking her. She was already his. His love bites felt wonderful, the beautiful blend of the sting and the pleasure arousing her once more.

House then unclasped her bra, with one expert hand. She took the opportunity to lift his tee off of him and rubbed his broad chest with her hands, playing with the short curls of hair on his chest. She smiled up at him under smoky eyes of want and intimacy as she trailed her deft hands down to his belt buckle, unbuckling it and unbuttoning his jeans, keeping her eyes connected to his. House gasped as she removed his jeans, lowering them and letting them fall to his feet. He stepped out of them, returning the favor by undressing her as well, pulling down her jeans along with her lacy thong. She smiled at the way he ogled at her naked silhouette, feeling her face flush with need and want of him.

She stepped out of the jeans pooled around her ankles and looked down to see his boxers tenting. She bit her lip, turned on by the size of his aroused manhood. God, she wanted him. She wanted to feel him again the same way she felt him inside her earlier that morning, when nothing mattered, when there was only them.

She knelt down in front of him, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets at the thought of what she was going to do next. But she surprised him, when she only pulled down his boxers and delicately ran her hands up and down his thighs, looking up at him. He took a deep shuddering breath at the feel of her caressing so close to his groin. He started standing to attention. She went down on him, kissing every inch of exposed skin she could, nuzzling every curve she passed by before she trailed kisses down his well-endowed length until she reached the tip. He gasped as she wrapped her fingers around him, and clutched at the bathroom wall as he struggled to stay sane at what she was doing. Stars burst behind his eyes as he finally felt her mouth, wet and warm around him. She hummed and the sound vibrated into him, making him groan in pleasure. He had never thought that she'd do this for him. He always thought that it would forever be one of his fantasies. It was real now. And by God, was it mind-numbing. He felt himself grow harder, thoughts of his fantasies mixing with the effect of actual reality almost bringing him to the edge. She looked at him with seductive eyes gleaming at his reactions to her touch, to her oral ministrations. She ran her hand up and down the length of him she wouldn't be able to mouth and used her other hand to grip his balls, squeezing them gently, making him even louder than he wanted to be. She was good at this. Of course. She liked sex. He had forgotten that.

As much as she wanted to try and make him come, she wanted him inside her more. She wanted to feel him come inside her. But they have yet to bathe a little. She gave him one last peck on the head of his shaft, as if in apology for not letting have release, and kissed her way back up to his lips. They kissed more until the need for air became necessary.

House finally turned off the faucet and checked the water's temperature before sliding in ahead of her, resting back against the tub. She joined him seconds later, resting her back against his muscular chest. She sighed contentedly, the heat of the water and his body calming her, soothing her extraordinarily. She felt House's hands run up her shoulders, clasping her shoulder blades gently. She moaned as he started to massage her, easing the tension from her body with his magical touch. She threw her head back against his collarbone, moaning appreciatively at the sensations filling her senses.

"There," she moaned when he suddenly crushed a sore spot she had. She felt visibly relaxed when he finished massaging that part of her, which first made her moan and groan at the pleasure and pain that it brought. He then brought his hands down to the small of her back, feeling her curves. He gently massaged her along her spine, feeling every dip of her bones and every taut muscle of her abdomen. It was fascinating how this woman could keep herself in such a good shape. She put women half her age to shame, he proudly thought.

"God, you're good," she breathlessly whispered, eyes closed, when he finally finished massaging her back and shoulders.

House grinned from behind her. "Turn around and lean back against the other side of the tub," he throatily whispered against her ear, the breeze of his breath sparking her senses to life, the graze of his lips against the shell of her ear making her shudder from pleasure and want. She did as she was told, not bothering to argue because he was great with his hands. She could absolutely feel the strain, the stress, and all the tension dissipate from her body as he worked his magic on her.

She gazed at him, his eyes on her as he reached for her. He moved a little closer to her before tenderly grasping one of her thighs, making her gasp, his hands on her in addition to her already rising arousal, making her more sensitive to his touch, his caresses. He kneaded her flesh, working to check for any knots causing her to tense. He found none in her thigh so he worked on her calf, eliciting another fresh batch of moans from her as she rested her head back on the edge of the tub. He worked on her calf until she sighed in utter relief, telling him he was victorious in relaxing her. He worked on her feet next, guiding her foot to move circularly, guiding her ankle. He pressed on the sole of her foot and she gave a muffled squeal.

"Ticklish, I see," he said, grinning roguishly at her. He took her foot out of the water, kissing his way from the ball of her foot to her toe. She was squirming under his grip, not knowing whether she wanted him to continue or stop. She was loving it but at the same time dreading the feeling. Her foot was that ticklish. She gasped and threw her head back when he kissed then licked her sole. "House!" she called out breathlessly, the thrill and pleasure of him discovering her utmost erogenous zones too much for her. House grinned devilishly at her but opted to get done with her other leg. He went to work on that, before finally pulling her back against him. She sighed blissfully, staring at the wall in front of them. What she wouldn't give for more times like this with him in the future.

She didn't know she had been stroking his thighs with either of her hands until he moaned against her ear, jolting her nerve endings with a fireworks display of sensations. She felt him stir behind her, poking her lower back. She gave a mischievous grin and continued her ministrations, letting him know that he wasn't the only one with talented hands. She stroked his thighs, knowing from earlier therapy sessions he had before just how much pressure she had to put on his wounded leg. She stroked his calves and his feet, making sure to drag her short nails up and down it while his hands snaked forward in front of her and caressed her abdomen, sliding them up to cup her wondrous breasts, filling his hands with their weight.

It was amazing how years of knowing each other could do this to them. It felt as if they have been doing _this_ for years. But maybe, they have. In the form of bickering, bantering, and power plays. It has always been their own version of foreplay. It got them off. Neither had to be victorious nor a failure, although sometimes it added to the tension. She hated it when she was losing against him. He never gives up until he acquires retribution from his loss. It was a circle they've been more than willing to be a part of. They contributed to each other's habits and daily routines. Although it had diminished to a barely there presence these past few months, they were both sure things were about to fire up again when they got back to the hospital… as a couple.

She finally gave up. Feeling him pressed hard on her lower back was making her impatient. She tilted her head to look at him, her left hand snaking behind his head to pull him to meet her lips. They kissed passionately, tongues sliding against each other, lips meshing, the sounds they were creating, wet sucks and breathy moans adding mist to the room because of the heat emanating from their bodies and from the water.

His right hand slid down between her legs, lightly grazing her there. She gasped into his mouth, her body wanting to turn limp as she laid back against him more in utter satisfaction. She opened herself for him, spreading her legs, the coldness of the exposed walls of his bathtub providing her with a delicious contrast to the heat of her body and the things her lover was about to do to her. She bit her lip hard when he sought her clit while lapping at her moist skin, enjoying the taste of her neck. She had her hand still splayed on his nape, urging him with her fingers and scratching his scalp. She moaned lustfully into his mouth when he kissed her as he slipped one of his pianist fingers into her, exploring her core. He worked her to a frenzy as he slid another and explored what he could reach, readying her for what was about to come when they would be in bed.

Some long minutes later, she threw her head back against his shoulder and moaned through her climax, her body shuddering above him, her insides clenching on his digits and her heart pounding so hard that she thought it was going to explode in her chest. He soothed her with his amazing lips, kissing her neck and her temple, allowing her to ride the waves of her orgasm.

"Bed?" he suggested. She nodded, not caring if they weren't that refreshed from all their extracurricular activities in his tub. She stood, naked, and got out of his tub, being careful as her feet felt like they were made of gelatinous substances.

He stood, seemingly unaffected by his leg. They stood in front of each other, naked, souls bared, vulnerability exposed. And they didn't care anymore. House's face turned treasuring, his eyes softening as he gazed at her. Not at her body—well, not at that moment-, but at _her._ It has been hours but he still couldn't believe that they were at this point, standing in front of each other, stripped of any barriers which they could hide themselves behind. They were done keeping away from one another, denying each other of all the possibilities their coupling could open for them. They had finally jumped, on the same page, off the ledge. With no idea what the future held for them, they'd jumped. They were together. As of now, it was all that mattered.

Cuddy could now see why most people marveled at her personality once she was in his orbit. She was behaving, as that guy, Don maybe, had told her when she was with him as if, "Nothing else in the world's going on. You're focused, confident, compelling." Were those the things he saw in her, too? Or were there other things he loved about her? Knowing House, there was more to it than just a physical attraction. Their connection wasn't like any other couple's. They liked this uniqueness. It was just… them.

She was utterly swept off of her feet. From the beginning up to now.

At that moment, literally.

She quietly gasped as she felt him lift her off of her feet and started to carry her to his bedroom. She hung on to him, her eyes on his face. He wasn't in pain—or if he was, he was showing none of it at all. She would have reminded him about his leg but there was something in his eyes that made her unable to tell him. There was determination, there was hope, and there was love etched on his features that talking at that moment was almost sacrilegious.

Naked, he carried her to his bedroom and gently laid her on his bed, her arms falling aligned to her face, palms facing up. She looked up at him, respect filling her eyes, love making them shine like the precious stones they were.

He gazed down at her as he got on the bed, crawling in between her legs. He propped himself up with his arms on either side of her, never taking his eyes off of her. She was a goddess. His Lisa. His Cuddy. His, now. Just as much as he was hers. The thought filled his mind again but he let it fall to the backburner. He had to keep his promise to her earlier. He wanted to make her feel like a woman. He will.

He trailed kisses up her chest, stopping to rest at one taut peak of her nipple. He brought a hand to cup her other breast as he began sucking her nipple into his mouth, alternately using his tongue and playfully nipping at the hardened bud at different pleasuring intervals. She ran her hands up and down his shoulders, mouth hung open as her body burst in flames from his ministrations on her chest. When he moved to her other breast she threw her head back again when he sucked hard, biting her hard but not hard enough to bruise. She felt her juices start to flow, the natural male scent of him intoxicating and amplified and the feel and texture of his lips against her skin and her nipple carrying her up in a cloud of desire that didn't want to bring her back down to earth. She didn't ever want to descend from the high she was starting to soar into. She remembered the previous night and she smiled as he finally left her breasts to trace his way up her neck, her jaw, and then finally, the lips he couldn't just get enough of.

He settled himself between her legs, his shaft pressing onto her lower belly. She placed her palms on his chest, looking up at him with a faint smile. They were joining again, becoming one again, for the second time that day. And she anticipated every second that came by for her to feel him inside her again. He slid a hand down to feel her wetness, slipping a finger inside her core to assure he wouldn't hurt her much. He then propped himself up with both hands again, their eyes meeting as he captured her lips with his as he pushed himself into her, causing her to gasp into his mouth. He remained still, her tightness overwhelming, intoxicating as her scent filled his nostrils.

A few minutes later, he leant his forehead against hers as he started to rock his hips, searching for a rhythm. She bit her lips before arching her head back when he finally hit _that_ spot inside of her. The sensitive spot would have, if possible, burnt her into ashes as her entire body burst into flames when he repeated his thrusting movements right there again and again it. His lips caught her bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth as she moaned at the new pace he had set. Her hands slid over his shoulders and down his back, sliding down again to reach his ass, pulling him more inside of her. She needed all of him, fast. But he wanted to bring her to utmost pleasure. She started meeting his thrusts, moaning as she felt him hitting all the right places inside of her.

She moaned loudly when he slowed down, panting breathlessly and she almost glared daggers at him. And suddenly, as he was about to move again, with the agility and flexibility she had, she flipped them over, setting herself on top of him. She positioned herself above him, waiting for him to penetrate her again, and threw her head back when he slid into her, the silken feel of him caressing her inner walls so deliciously as she accommodated him yet again. She experimentally moved above him, trying to find the most pleasurable pace and position. When she did, she worked on it, rocking back and forth, whipping her hair back once in a while. He noted that he loved that. It made her look all the more sexy. He closed his eyes and held her by the hips as she impaled herself on him. He let her take the lead and choose the pace, alternating between slow and fast until he finally felt her walls slowly starting to clench tightly around him. He stilled her above him and flipped them so that he was above her again.

He wanted to go fast so they could finally find their release. She wanted the same as well. But he didn't go faster. He moved at a tantalizingly slow speed, moving in and out of her, rolling his hips, and pushing inside of her alternately. It was, to both their surprise, much more effective for them to go closer to the edge. She watched him, eyes open as he brought them closer to orgasm; his jaw clenching, his breathing getting more labored… she would have gone through every detail but her need to climax over empowered her capacity to form coherent thoughts. She started to moan louder minutes later as his new angle drove her wild, causing her to buck up into him and meet his surging hips. She threw her head back and clutched onto his shoulders tightly, her fingers digging into his skin as his name rolled off of her tongue, mewing.

He finally acquiesced and moved faster, his right hand drawing back to caress her supple thigh. She gasped, the tingly feeling he evoked in her adding to her desperation for release. He was almost strumming her like a guitar. He was finally intensifying his thrusts but his actions, his hands were still gentle. He lifted her thigh up and around him, causing the angle to change and him to drive deeper into her molten core.

He started placing sloppy kisses on her neck as he felt himself about to explode. He moved to cover her lips with his, and she kissed him hard, plunging her tongue into his mouth as she continued moving with him. Together they moved to find nirvana. House brought his left hand down in between them, stroking her clit vigorously, the action causing her to fall off the edge and dive into the abyss of pleasure and elation. She rode out her orgasm, clinging onto him, her body convulsing under him, writhing as he helped prolong it by continuing his thrusts. As she clenched tighter around him, he finally let go and exploded inside her, groaning his release into her mouth as she bit his lower lip, tugging at it. She moaned as she felt him spill himself into her, generous spurts of liquid warmth as she panted against his mouth.

He collapsed onto her, mindful of her small frame under his much larger one. He leant his forehead against hers, loving the blissful smile playing at her lips. She looked satisfied. She pecked him on the lips before he pulled out of her and lied beside her on his bed. He pulled her to him, her back against his side.

"The bed's wet," she muttered a little uncomfortably, the serene smile still intact.

"I'll change the sheets as soon as I can," he replied, stroking her arm.

She turned in his arms so that her back half-lied on his left side. She loved how his fingers caressed her naked skin. She could still feel herself twitching from time to time and it made her bite her lip. He did make her feel like a woman today. She was looking forward to more.

"So much for pillow talk," he deadpanned, internally amused, though. She chuckled.

"Now what?" he asked, almost to himself, just staring at the ceiling, absentmindedly stroking her arm. She didn't answer, lost in her own thoughts as well.

"You think this would work?" he honestly asked her, eyes on her, the lashes touching her cheeks, the slender arch of her pointed nose, the beautiful pout of her lips. She truly was beautiful, he thought.

"I don't know," she replied honestly, craning her neck to look up at him, adjusting her position so she was now spooning his side, a leg draped over his left leg.

House lost himself in her eyes, her sometimes sapphire, often times steel grey orbs. He lifted his hand to tenderly caress her cheek, causing her to close her eyes and give out a small smile. "I want it to work," he whispered, pecking her upturned lips. He waited for her to look at him once more before he told her, "I want _us _to work," his eyes the bluest she's ever seen them.

"I do, too," she whispered, smiling as she felt herself melt into his arms. House tightened his grip around her, securing him in his arm as his right hand met her left one. He interlaced their fingers, smiling at how things turned out.

Minutes later she fell asleep to the rhythmic beats of his heart and he watched her as she slept in his arms. He wished she could always look as safe as she looked now, for as long as they would be together. He knew there'd be times when he'd hurt her. But what were relationships without the difficulties and the hurdles? There wasn't anything such as a perfect relationship.

All he wanted was for them to be able to stay together, try to make things work. He knew they'd have to make compromises. But he was willing to. If he had to, just to be with her, he would. To finally try and go in pursuit of happiness. For himself, for her, and with her. Who knows, maybe he'd eventually bond with her child. It would certainly be a challenging process but he'd be able to overcome it.

She wouldn't allow him to mess this up again.

They were finally doing this.

Now. That was all that mattered.

As he drifted off to sleep, he thought, sometimes, to know what could be and not think of 'what if's', you just have to let yourself go and discover things for yourself. Then you won't regret not having ever tried. You find out that even in the most unconventional ways, things could turn out good, just right, if not perfect; and that "the hostility and novelty and forbiddenness didn't have to end bad."

That _things_ don't necessarily have to end bad.

He didn't know where this new page in his life, with Cuddy, would lead him to but he wasn't thinking about the end already.

It was just the beginning.

He smiled.

_**

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A/N:

_Hope you liked it! :D_

_**Please leave a review… Since part 3, I feel kinda not hitting the right notes… The review monster is hungry for kind words, suggestions, and criticisms! **_

**_*off to watch my HD download of the Premiere* Email me if you want a DL link. I'll hook you up. _**


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